


Happenstance

by teapotscandal, XanderB



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Abrasive Mothers, Anal Sex, Blackmail, Comedy, Company Mergers, Crossdressing, Drama, Eren Is a Little Shit, Eventual Happy Ending, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff and Smut, Forced Marriage, Genderbending, Gold Digging, Homosexuality, Humor, Levi Has A Sweet Tooth, Levi in a dress and unhappy about it, Levi is a Little Shit, Lies and secrets, M/M, Money, Omiai, Oral Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics, Political Marriage, Rich - Freeform, Romance, Short & Sweet, Unconventional Relationship, and a dirty mouth, scandals, so does Eren, sprinkling of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-08-25
Packaged: 2018-11-01 02:32:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 30,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10912530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teapotscandal/pseuds/teapotscandal, https://archiveofourown.org/users/XanderB/pseuds/XanderB
Summary: Eren glared at his mother, finding the urge to chuck a pillow at her pristine head very tempting, but he managed to not act on the impulse. “But Mom!” he said, using his last argument in hope of stopping the arrangement, “You know I'm gay, how the hell will this marriage even work out?”Carla lifted her gaze as her expression relaxed in relief. “Oh! Is that all you're worried about?” Carla asked, giving her son a bright smile, “This is a political marriage, Eren. All you're obligated to do is produce an heir for our line, then you can do whatever you want. You could live in an entirely different house from Ackerman and have as many lovers as you like!”In which Eren and Levi are forced into a marriage built on deceit, drama ensues and neither of them could have imagined the outcome.Disclaimer: We don't own SNK.





	1. The Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello, we're at it again, but fear not, this is just a short piece that's being written for a fan and will only be about five parts which will all be finished and posted before we get back to our regular update list. We appreciate the support and patience. 
> 
> And to our fateful benefactor, we hope you enjoy reading it as much as we are writing it.
> 
> Anyways, thanks again! 
> 
> Enjoy!

Flopping face first into the fancy plush bed in his hotel room, Eren Jäeger made a muffled groan in protest, having been arguing and whining for what seemed like months. 

“Eren,” Carla said with a sigh, continuing her makeup in front of the vanity across the room, “Just give up and accept it. You are going to this marriage meeting and you will marry the heiress of Ackerman Cosmetics.” 

“Urghhh,” Eren yelled in response, slamming his fists into the bed and kicking his feet in frustration. “I don't fucking want to!” he added, rolling onto his back and pulling at his hair. He felt like a god damn preteen again, like his parents were refusing to let him stay up an extra hour; but it was so much worse. He couldn't believe they were actually making him marry someone he had never met before, let alone a _woman_. Was this the damn dark ages?:

Carla slammed down her lipstick then turned her head to stare straight at her son. “Language. You better not speak that way when we get downstairs for lunch, or there will be hell to pay,” she said, her voice dark and threatening, before she stood up, smoothing down the lines of her sundress to step towards her son. “It doesn't really matter what you want. The documents have already been written up, all that's left is the formality of outdated traditions.” There was an air of finality to her voice, closing the topic for discussion as Carla tsked while she looked over the disheveled state of Eren's crumpled suit laid out on the bed next to the young man. 

Sitting up, Eren glared at his mother, finding the urge to chuck a pillow at her pristine head very tempting, but he managed to not act on the impulse. “But Mom!” he said, using his last argument in hope of stopping the arrangement, “You know I'm gay, how the hell will this marriage even work out?” 

Carla lifted her gaze as her expression relaxed in relief. “Oh! Is that all you're worried about?” Carla asked, giving her son a bright smile, “This is a political marriage, Eren. All you're obligated to do is produce an heir for our line, then you can do whatever you want. You could live in an entirely different house from Ackerman and have as many lovers as you like!” 

Eren's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped in astonishment at his mother's explanation; too shocked to speak on the lack of morality of this type of arrangement. He couldn't believe that just came out of his loving and gentle mother’s mouth. Before he could even hope to reply, Carla picked up and handed Eren the suit jacket, already turning on her heel to walk out of the room. “Come along now,” she called by the door to the hotel room, “We shouldn't be late to meet your future bride!” 

Eren was still too shocked to speak, quickly fixing his suit and following his mother out of the room. Defeated and numb, he followed Carla to the lobby where he would meet the woman he'd spend the rest of his life with.

***

Levi grunted and cursed under his breath as he fastened the layers of the traditional Japanese apparel his mother had decided he would be wearing. He couldn’t blame her really; the numerous layered silks and cottons accompanied by the make up she’d insisted on would certainly leave his gender up to interpretation. God help him, even his adam’s apple had been made less prominent with the mix of cosmetics.

And you’d think after being raised for most of his life as the singular daughter of the Ackerman Cosmetics corporation, he’d be used to it by now, but every time he put the dresses on and looked at the face that was his but wasn’t in the mirror, he was filled with irate indignation. He would have just liked for once to be allowed to be who he was. It was all a clever con his uncle and his mother had come up with to ensure they secured a merger with a company that had money because, though they did a good job hiding it, Ackerman Cosmetics, the multi million dollar cosmetics company was broke. His mother and her brother had run the company into the ground, accumulated debt that far outreached even the bounds of their company’s profits, through gambling and his mother’s incessant desire to own everything and anything, to remain as young and beautiful as possible by chasing new fads and keeping up with all the most popular trends. 

Levi couldn’t understand it. From the time he’d been born into the world, he’d been just another pawn, another avenue in which to satisfy the greed of his family. He’d been lucky enough to have met friends through school, ones he’d come to trust enough to know he wasn’t what he was perceived to be. 

“Are you nearly finished? We’re going to be late if you keep dallying,” the shrill voice of Kuchel Ackerman came through the screened door of his dressing room and he swore under his breath colourfully before he yanked the door open and stormed out, scowling sinisterly.

His mother clicked her tongue, immediately stepping forward to adjust his clothing and touch up his make up. “It’s perfect. They’ll never know. You are so lucky you took after me. God knows what we would have done if you’d taken after your bastard father,” she said as her sharp eyes scrutinized him over again. 

He scoffed, “You realize this is sick, right? I feel like Norman Bates for fuck’s sake. Just because you dress me like this doesn’t somehow mean I grew a pussy, you understand that’s not how sex changes work?”

“You sure about that princess because you bitch like you got one. You should be thanking your mom for this. You can actually go to that shitty art school you’re always whining about. You do this and all our problems are solved. So you gotta suck a little dick; it’s not like you have to do it forever, just until we’ve got the cash secured through the merger, then you can do whatever you want. Don’t be such a baby,” his uncle’s crude drawl came from where the older male was leaning next to the door of the room. 

“I wasn’t fucking talking to you and I’d like to see you have to wear a fucking dress and sit on some strange dude’s dick. When this is all over, you’re gonna give me the money I need to start over and I never wanna hear from either of you again,” Levi gritted as he tugged uselessly at the too-tight obi cinching his waist. He huffed as he went to the door, shouldering his uncle unnecessarily as he jerked the door open and stepped out into the hallway, “Let’s just get this shit over with.”

They arrived in the lobby and were ushered into the lavish little restaurant where the young heir of Jäeger Pharmaceuticals and his mother were already seated. Levi drew in a deep breath as the Jäegers noticed their arrival and stood to greet them. _Just think of the future, the freedom; it’ll be worth it,_ he kept telling himself, wincing when his mother discreetly pinched his inner arm to remind him to smile as they stepped over to the table and made their introductions. At least the Jäeger heir wasn’t some forty year old balding divorcee that was bound to be pawing at him before the meeting was even over. Really, the kid looked about as eager to be here as Levi was.

Kuchel’s smile was too bright and too wide to be genuine, but she did a good job toning her voice to be less grating and more pleasant than Levi could ever recall hearing it, “It’s so good to see you again Carla. It’s so exciting for these two to finally meet. Our Chi-chan has been just so nervous and excited. This must be your boy, Eren wasn’t it?”

“The pleasure is mine,” Carla said, stepping forward to faux kiss Kuchel on both cheeks before she stepped back and gestured to Eren. Although both women were acting cheerful and pleasant, there was a spark of something else; fierce rivalry as the two eyed each other up. “Yes, this is the heir to Jäeger Pharmaceuticals… Just as handsome as I told you,” Carla boasted with pride as Eren gave the Ackermans a traditional Japanese bow which he’d been coached on how to do for weeks. He was just able to hide his scowl as he tilted forward; not too shallowly, because he was greeting his future wife and inlaw, but also not too deeply, since the Jäeger family was considered to be at a higher social standing and thus deserving of more respect. 

“And this must be my future daughter in law,” Carla said, looking the painted doll of a girl up and down. “Chi-... Chi-haya… Did I say that correctly?” Carla stumbled with a frown, unused to the Japanese pronunciation.

Kuchel beamed, “Oh yes that’s right. But just call her Chi-chan since we’re all family now,” she said as she patted Levi more firmly that strictly necessary and he inclined his head demurely at the young man and Carla, sighing inaudibly. He seated himself when Carla gestured for them to and his mother sat next to him, gushing already about any and everything she could and ordered lavishly when the server came around, claiming they had cause for celebration. He found himself rolling his eyes only to end up watching his future husband from beneath his lashes with some curiosity. It seemed to Levi that they were at the very least allies in this shitty arrangement since they obviously both would rather not be there at all. He had to wonder why it was Eren was stuck doing this like he was. 

Eren was busy thoroughly examining the silverware when he suddenly felt eyes on him. He lifted his green eyes to take a peek at his future bride and almost got lost in the silvery depths. He sighed inwardly, wishing that they belonged to a male instead. They were very beautiful although frozen over. 

Kuchel and Carla were completely engrossed in talking, ignoring their children as they gossiped while Kenny was downing expensive shots at the bar. Working himself up to speak, Eren turned his head to politely smile at his mother and then Kuchel. "Mother, do you think me and Chihaya could take a walk together... Just so we can get to know each other a little better... I think she would be more relaxed with some fresh air. Her kimono looks quite hot," he observed before he glanced at the girl with pleading eyes not to refuse.

Carla smiled, happy with how proper Eren was acting. Finally, she must have been able to get through to him how advantageous this match would be. "Mmm... That's fine with me... How about you Kuchel?" she asked, making sure that she was acting within the confines of the tradition; the marriage meeting had been upon the Ackermans request after all.

Levi opened his mouth as if to speak, but shut it and settled for a little nod when his mother sent him a scathing warning look. That look successfully killed the smart ass remark he had intended to make about heat rash on his balls and silk not being quite as soft as he’d been lead to believe. He stood up stiffly and reached for Eren’s arm like he’d been instructed from childhood. He clenched his teeth and forced down the annoyed frustration and humiliation that welled up in his chest as he played his role of blushing bride to be, god help him. 

Kuchel turned her attention back to Carla as Levi moved to stand and smiled, “That’s a splendid idea. You and I can talk business while the lovebirds get acquainted,” she agreed brightly, making a vague shooing motion at Levi to get him moving.

Eren offered his arm then quickly maneuvered them out of the fancy hotel restaurant and to the veranda. He tried to walk as fast as possible, but Chihaya could only shuffle so quickly, burdened by the confines of her dress. Soon they reached a gazebo overlooking a pond where Eren let go of the girl’s arm then proceeded to run his fingers through his combed hair, completely dishevelling it. 

"Holy fuck they never shut up..." Eren groused, now pulling off his tie then ripping off his jacket to throw on the siding. He slumped against the railing, leaning back so that his face would tilt into the sun, and took a deep, chest shaking breath. "Thought I was going to suffocate in there..." he added, soaking in the sun and fresh air.

Levi’s painted eyes widened minutely as he watched his fiance tear off his tie and jacket and flop back against the railing and he tried belatedly to stop the chuckle that crawled up his throat but it was too late and it tumbled from his lips. The best he could do was at least adjust it to be more feminine, grateful for once that he’d had all those voice lessons over the years. “I didn’t think anyone else had a mother as abrasive as mine. I stand corrected,” he managed to reply, covering for his unexpected humour. 

Dry scrubbing his face, Eren nodded then finally leant back forward to address his fiancé. "Sorry for dragging you with me... There's no way my mother would have let me leave without you... I'm supposed to stay by your side and be a proper gentlemen and fiancé and assist you in anyway possible," he explained with a big roll of his eyes before he started to pace the length of the gazebo, "Like what the fuck does that even mean? I'm sure you're pretty damn capable of taking care of yourself. Like we are both fucking twenty years old. And besides... What does it matter to make a good impression on you. We have to get fucking married whether we want to or not. This whole thing is fucking barbaric..." Eren suddenly cut off his words then turned around to give Chihaya a sheepish and apologetic smile and said, "Sorry... Don't mean to rant... I just got the feeling that you don't want to be here as much as I don't. And I'm not very good at talking to girls..." Eren bit his lip in embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his neck, not really sure what to do.

Levi blew out a breath that shifted delicate wisps of hair that were already fighting their way free of the styled updo his mother had managed to tame it into. “You have no idea how true that is. You can talk to me. Don’t think of me as a girl, just uhh, how about a friend or something. Since we’re stuck in this shitmire- I mean, um situation, we might as well make the best of it, right?” He replied, looking down at his hands where he’d tucked his fingers into his obi to keep from pulling the pins out of his hair and shaking it out in an act of rebellion of his own. He’d better not, though he desperately wanted to. He wondered what Eren would say if he knew the truth, but he didn’t dare confess it to find out.

Eren's eyes widened at his fiancé’s offer of friendship before he gave her one of his brightest, toothiest smiles. "Oh thank god," he breathed, his shoulders slouching with relaxation, "I was really hoping we could be friends... I don't want you to fucking hate my guts... Like you don't have any idea what I've done to try and get out of this..." His smile suddenly dropped and he started to splutter, trying to backpedal awkwardly. "N-Not t-t-th-that you aren't... Um... Pretty?... You deserve a g-good husband just like anyone e-else! It's that... Well... I think only people who are in love get married... And," he spluttered, waving his hands in front of him and bowing his head so she wouldn't take offence. Finally, he just sighed and looked up to the sky to say, "Please, God just kill me now..."

Levi raised one hand to his mouth to cover the smile that he could feel tugging at his lips insistently, just like he could feel the warmth that preceded laughter. Eren was at least funny, he’d have to give him that. The kid was like a spinning top and Levi was pretty sure he could see steam coming from the other young man’s ears as he floundered in embarrassment. “Take a breath Eren. You don’t owe me shit. I’m not gonna rat you out or anything. We can just hang out. Think it’s probably better to be allies than enemies at this point,” he assured, forgetting that he was supposed to be speaking in a ladylike manner. His voice was still toned feminine enough and it only made the crass words seem funnier when he said them.

"Okay... So... I don't want you to be weirded out," Eren began, scrunching his face up as he tried to figure out what to say, "But like... This is a political marriage or whatever so my parents seem to think that as long as I produce an heir, I can do whatever the fuck I want on the side... But to me... I'm still gonna be saying vows or whatever. So I've basically decided that I won't be unfaithful to you..." His face turned bright red and he looked away, trying not to stutter. "Like... I won't ask the same of you... But I think it'd be rude to my wife to be fucking around on the side... Oh! And... I don't care what's expected of us on the... the the the... _wedding night_... I can't-... There's no way I'll be ready to, to... I just can't okay? I'm sorry. I don't want you to be offended." Eren lifted his hands to cover his face, waiting for Chihaya to freak out on him.

“Thank fuck- I mean goodness, thank goodness. You don’t know how worried I was about that. I um, I haven’t done _that_ before so, I’m not really ready either,” Levi responded before he could stop himself, incredibly relieved that he wouldn’t have to figure out how to get around actually having Eren anywhere between his legs and even more so that he might even get away with not sucking any dick either. It wasn’t as if Levi was a virgin, not that he’d had the time to pick up a lot of women given the circumstances of his unfortunate upbringing, but he hadn’t ever thought he’d be sleeping with another man, let alone marrying one. He was only too eager to agree with Eren.

Removing his hands, Eren smiled again, wondering how he’d gotten so lucky with this girl. She seemed super easy to deal with which made this whole process a lot easier for Eren. “Good! Now it’s something neither of us have to worry about… Like I know our parents are going to be a pain about it… But you’re not a brood mare, you’re a person. A person who I’m gonna be tied with for life… So I think we should definitely take everything slow and get to know each other first… We will figure the rest out later I gues,” Eren chatted happily, “Oh and you know, you can swear around me or whatever. I don’t mind. I’m not gonna stop swearing so you might as well get to as well…”

Levi let out a breathy laugh that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle parading as a giggle. Why was it so fucking difficult to laugh femininely? Probably because he hadn’t expected to actually be laughing at any point during this whole farce. He was ill prepared for how much he found he actually liked the other young man. They could have been normal friends in different circumstances. It was such a shame really. “I appreciate it. It’s so hard to remember not to. My mother has been nagging me for forever over it. I guess, it’s just the only thing I can actually do for myself y’know. It’s like a little revenge I guess,” he explained, looking at Eren through his lashes, a little embarrassed by his own admission.

"You don't have to change yourself for me. You won't be with your mother anymore. My mom’s giving us a place, we just have to decide which," Eren said, completely nonchalant. He was a child of privilege and though he tried not to be an ass about it, it showed through occasionally. "Oh! And before I forget, I'm supposed to get you a gift. My mom said I should get you this crazy big ass diamond, but I figured I should ask you first if there's something else you want. Don't be afraid of the cost, you'll be a Jäeger soon enough so you'll only receive the best of the best," Eren said with a smile, not realizing how uncomfortable that statement could be for someone else.

“Honestly? Anything I want right?” Levi affirmed, waiting until Eren nodded before he straightened up, continuing as he brushed himself off, “‘Cause I’ve got a wicked craving for an ice cream cone with two scoops of chocolate mint. It’s on you and I’ll tell your mom I loved the gift you got me, but it’s private and I’m shy, so I can’t show it to her. Deal?”

Eren frowned and scratched his head, "Well okay... But my mom’s gonna be suspicious when I don't tell her what I got for the five hundred grand I was supposed to buy the ring with..." He gave a small shrug, like that kind of money was a drop in the bucket, then shoved off the railing to stand straight, stretching up to the sky with a pop of his spine. "Man I feel so much better with that all out of the way... Let's go get you your ice cream then we probably should head back... Don't be surprised when I start acting like a douche again," Eren said, putting his jacket back on and doing up his tie.

Levi blinked once, twice, waiting for Eren to call his own joke, but he didn't and Levi realized belatedly that the other male was serious. It was no wonder his mother had been so strict in this whole charade she was playing, with that kind of money involved. She was basically selling him to the Jäeger family and he kind of felt sorry for them since they were definitely getting faulty goods.

"What the hell kind of gift was she expecting you to buy me, a house in Beverly hills? Jesus Christ, a bunch of flowers or something would have sufficed for a first date," he finally burst as he followed after Eren, shuffling along at the most infuriating pace. He was unable to even fathom how a little ring could cost so damn much.

"I already told you, she wanted me to buy you some crazy giant diamond ring," Eren said, waiting for Chihaya to catch up and offered his arm to her again because it couldn't be easy to walk dressed like that. "But it looked super gaudy, and I'm sure it would weigh your hand down and it wouldn't be comfortable to wear," Eren explained, scrunching his face up, "That's why I managed to convince her to buy you something else... I just didn't really know what so I asked you..." Eren gave the young woman the side eye as they continued to shuffle slowly through the garden, "You realize the house we will be living in, depending on location, will probably be a lot more expensive than that. Like I guess if we want to have separate houses, we won't be able to spend as much as one, but I'm sure my parents will make sure we are comfortable..." He was quiet for a moment as his frown deepened, "It's the least they can do for making us do this..."

“Right, why don’t we just save it for now then and I’ll let you know if I come up with something you can get me. And so long as we can at least have separate bedrooms for a while, I don’t think two houses are necessary, but we can figure that out later too. For now, the chocolate mint is calling for me. Seriously, I’m so fucking starving. What flavour are you gonna get?” Levi said, trying to change the subject, uncomfortable and flustered with all the talk of money, especially since it was more than Levi had ever had at his disposal in his entire life.

“Mmm,” Eren hummed as they walked up to the stand and he looked over the choices. “I think I'm gonna go with maple,” he said to Chihaya while he dug his wallet out of his inner jacket pocket. Looking to the teenager behind the stand, he started to say in English, “Two scoops of mint chocolate chip, and two scoops of maple please in cones…” 

“That'll be eight fifty please,” the kid said, bored as he got his scoop ready. 

Eren opened his wallet, and looked through the bills with a frown. “I guess you guys don't take hundred dollar bills eh?” Eren asked sheepishly, before he tried to dig in the pocket for change, while the kid gave him a blank, but decidedly unhappy stare. “Fuck… Okay…” Eren said, sticking out his tongue to dig into the little change pocket for dollars. He smiled victoriously when he managed to find nine dollars in change, not being used to spending such small quantities of money. 

Levi hid his amusement behind his ice cream as he watched Eren triumphantly hand over the change, but didn’t comment until they’d stepped away from the stand again. He licked the minty sweetness from his lips before he glanced sidelong at his fiancé and said, “Thanks for this. It really hits the spot. Can’t tell you the last time I had ice cream.”

"Yeah?" Eren said, taking a large bite out of the top of his ice cream like a freak, then smiled at his betrothed as he chewed his ice cream and swallowed. He was about to say something else when two very shrill and very upset sounding voices reached them from down the path. 

"Eren!" Carla said sternly, walking up to them and looking at the ice cream in horror, "Why are you serving Chihaya such common food? The restaurant’s dessert would have been so much more suitable!" 

Eren held in a sigh and managed to keep from rolling his eyes. "Chihaya was feeling famished mother, it wouldn't have been gentlemanly to let my fiancé faint..."

Levi let out a very unladylike snort of displeasure as both of their mothers’ voices and then the women themselves reached them. His mother was glaring daggers at him. He didn’t even have to look to know; he could _feel_ it. It was accusatory and he knew she was blaming him for misconduct though he and Eren really hadn’t done anything the least bit wrong.

He ignored her and purposefully took another satisfying lick of his ice cream before he addressed Carla in a shy tone, “I’m afraid it’s my fault, not Eren’s. I asked him to get me ice cream like this. I’ve always wanted to try it. Eren’s been such a gentleman, I feel lucky that I’ll get to call him my husband in the future.” Maybe he laid it on a little thick, but he could practically feel the tension leak out of his mother as he saved face and shifted topics smoothly. He hadn’t done it for her benefit, but so be it if she liked to believe he had.

Carla looked from Chihaya to Eren and back before her eyes softened and a small smile formed on her lips. "There is something to be said about the more... Simple pleasures in life. Just know dear that we only want you to have the finest of everything," she said gently, before her eyes turned calculating again, "However, Chihaya dear, a sweet tooth is no good for conceiving. You must watch your diet and your health very carefully so that you can have a healthy son! So once you move in and get settled, we will find you a personal chef to cook with only the best and highest quality organic ingredients."

Eren cringed inwardly, and squeezed ever so slightly on Chihaya's arm in support. He hated that his mother was putting the girl on the spot, but he guessed this was why he was being forced to be married in the first place. He shouldn't expect his mother to mince her words; she was paying a ransom in a dowry for Chihaya to be his bride. This was a business transaction.

Levi managed to feign a blush and an endearing smile, though his embarrassment might have been more legitimate than he was willing to admit. Jesus Christ, he would forever sympathize with girls everywhere. The expectations some of them had to deal with were just astounding really. “Mm, of course, you’re right. But if it’s only for special occasions, it’s okay, isn’t it?”

“Chihaya, don’t be spoiled, now come along, we’ve packing and shopping to do,” Kuchel interrupted, taking the half finished cone from her son’s hand before he could protest, tossing it in the nearby trash and taking him firmly by the arm to lead him away, pausing only to bid Carla and Eren a pleasant farewell and a promise to be in touch in the next day or two so they could properly begin planning the wedding. Levi could only grimace and roll his eyes, sparing a little wave for his fiancé before his mother was dragging him on his way with no regard for the damn way she’d dressed him. 

Eren and Carla looked on in confusion at Kuchel's sudden outburst before they began making their way back to the hotel. "So," Carla began, a mischievous glint in her eyes, "You were gone a long time... Maybe you were getting started on my grandson already." She playfully ruffled Eren's hair as he tried to push her hand away with a scowl. 

"Not funny..." Eren groused before he decided to tease her back, "And a gentleman never kisses and tells. Especially not his mother..." With that, he turned on his heel and sped away from his mother before the interrogation could begin. 

Carla stood stunned a moment before she dashed after her son. "Eren! At least wait until after the wedding," she pleaded, obviously taken off guard by Eren's untruthful admission.


	2. The Wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next part of this requested work. Hope you all enjoy it!

Levi spent the month following the marriage interview being literally dragged to every bridal boutique in the entire city (even though he would be wearing traditional Japanese attire for the actual ceremony), dress fittings, shoe and jewellery stores, as well as some rather dubious ballroom dance lessons in which his uncle had been his partner that he’d rather repress the hell out of and never speak of again. He’d been made to diet and exercise on an inhuman schedule to be sure he would fit into the ridiculously expensive dresses and other apparel his mother had picked out for him. He’d been lectured, primped, polished, waxed (for fuck’s sake), nagged, badgered endlessly and left wholly emasculated. He was beginning to question his own damn gender. He was sleep deprived more than usual, grouchy and fucking hungry and by the time the actual date of the wedding had come, he simply wanted to get it over with. At least once it was over, he and Eren would be left on their own and thank god for that because if he had to sit through one more of his mother’s make up tutorials or listen to her prattle on about how to give proper head or tuck his testicles, he was going to go Bundy on her and quite possibly anyone else in his general vicinity.

So it was, he was wrapped in a pure white kimono with silver snowflake embroidery, accented by scarlet undersilks and a matching obi cinching his waist, silver and pearl hair pieces weaved intricately in his wax stiff styled hair, and gratefully flat bottomed white shoes on his feet. His face was powdered white, blush high on his already prominent cheekbones and scarlet splashed over his lips and across the lids of his eyes finishing at a sharp tip to give the appearance of a more almond shape to their already narrow appearance, lashes long and stained with charcoal, looking for all the world as if he was a beautiful and perfect Japanese bride; he was Chihaya. He huffed what had to be at least his hundredth sigh since he’d finished being dressed and turned his gaze away from his mirrored reflection in disgust. It was fucking disturbing to look at himself and see a more beautiful woman than any he’d ever been with and he really didn’t want to spend any more time looking. It’d been hours and he was so fucking tired of waiting. Where the fuck was his mother and when the fuck was this shit supposed to actually happen? 

Without warning, a few tiny taps on the hotel room door broke the suffocating silence. When the taps went unanswered, they turned into frantic knocks that continued to gain in volume. “Chihaya!” Eren whispered so loudly he might as well have yelled, “It's Eren! Please let me in… I need a place to hide until the ceremony…” 

Levi had ignored the first few soft taps to the door, assuming it was some servant or other hired help he had no desire to deal with, but nearly jumped out of his skin when they became louder and were accompanied by the voice of his fiance. What in the hell was Eren doing here? God help them if his mother caught them fraternizing before the damn ceremony… 

He moved to the door as quickly as he could without tripping on the hem of his kimono and pulled it open, looking around the doorframe to be sure there was no one to see before he pulled Eren inside and quickly shut the door behind him. “The hell are you doing here Eren? Not that I care, but we’re not supposed to see each other until the ceremony starts,” he greeted, looking the other male over from beneath thick, fanned lashes, his painted eyes half lidded and tired.

Eren said nothing, hardly recognizing Chihaya's existence before he padlocked the door then raced to the other side of the room to push a heavy lounger in front of the door as well. He was breathing heavily before he addressed Chihaya directly. “I can't fucking do this!” he exclaimed, looking at the painted doll of a girl with pleading eyes like she was able to call it all off. Of course she wasn't; they had already discussed their fate at their first meeting, but Eren was really freaking out now that the day had arrived no matter how much he tried to will it away. 

Levi blinked slowly as he watched the frantic young man barricade the door and then those bright eyes were pleading into his own and he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to say. He was just as stuck as Eren and there was no way out that he could see. He wet his lips and tried to ignore the odd taste the lip stain he was wearing left on his tongue as he considered how to respond to Eren’s proclamation. Settling for the easiest route he could think of that would be hopefully the most in character, he shuffled to the bed and sat himself down on it, gesturing for Eren to join him, before he replied quietly, “Why not? I don’t have any expectations of you Eren, so you don’t have to worry, I promise.” 

A high pitched whine escaped from Eren's throat as he paced in front of Chihaya, not accepting her offer to sit down. "You don't understand," Eren said, looking everywhere except Chihaya's eyes, "You'll be tied to me for life when I cant.. I c-can't..." For a moment his breath hitched then he let it all out before he slumped into the mattress beside her. Turning directly to stare into Chihaya's eyes. "I'm gay," he said like it was almost painful to admit. "There is no way I could ever..." Eren cringed before he went on, "Get you pregnant... Or give you the intimacy you deserve..." Slumping forward, Eren put his face into the palms of his hands and groaned, followed by a very weak and sincere, "I'm sorry..."

Levi’s eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open unconsciously. Sweet baby Jesus, what luck… It was entirely unexpected, but perfect. Levi would not have to worry about Eren attempting to bed him or having to offer the boy oral sex to stave off the inevitable “consummation” of their marriage as he’d been dreading. Fucking perfect! He was grateful that Eren had dropped his face into his hands so that he didn’t see the dumbstruck expression that he was sure was on his face. He shook his head a little and schooled his features, a small, actually genuine smile colouring his lips as he lifted one hand to place it gently on the young man’s back. “Is that all? What a relief… It’s alright, I don’t mind at all. I was afraid to confess before, but I don’t want to be pregnant at all. I want to pursue a career in the arts. It’s really alright Eren, you don’t owe me any apologies. We’re in this together, remember?” he managed to assure, pleased that he didn’t even have to lie, just bend the truth a little, feeling guilty enough for continuing the farce he’d been forced into to begin with.

Eren parted his fingers and snuck a look up at Chihaya’s understanding smile. It was almost enough to make his heart melt and knees weak, except Chihaya was a girl. Shaking his head a little, he sat up and looked deeply into her eyes to try and see if there is any deception lying beneath the surface of Chihaya's painted face. "Really?...it's okay?" he asked, brightening up at Chihaya's nod of affirmation. He immediately lunged forward, careful of her hair and makeup to give the girl a giant hug. "Thank you! I'm sorry I just didn't want you to be confused and wonder why I wouldn't be intimate with you," he explained, still holding on tight. "And you know what I said before is true, I won't be with anyone else as long as we are married. You know, I'll even help you with art school if you want it... Fuck, there was no way I could go through with this without telling you," he rambled, finally letting Chihaya go to reveal his flushed but smiling face, green eyes sparkling with happiness.

Levi’s smile broadened just enough to show the smallest sliver of straight, white teeth and he nodded his assurance. “It really is fine. And you don’t have to do that, be faithful or something. I won’t be upset. It wouldn’t be fair to ask something so shitty of you. And you don’t have to pretend to be something you’re not when we’re alone,” he said, smile turning bittersweet as he considered how much he wanted to do the same. To just be who he was… How could he ask Eren to be anyone else? He didn’t think he was a shitty person, though he was being blackmailed into doing some pretty shitty things. Either way, he would get to go to art school and at least that was something. He just hoped everything would work out.

“Being faithful is my own decision,” Eren said, waving his hand at his fiancé dismissively like it wasn't a big deal, “And the same goes for you… I think if we are both honest with each other, we’ll be able to do this without a problem…” He gave her another blinding smile before his eyes trailed down to inspect her outfit. “Chihaya… You look…”

Eren didn't get to finish talking before there was a loud bang at the hotel room door. “Chihaya, why is this door locked?” the shrill voice of Kuchel shrieked. 

“Fuck,” Eren said, suddenly whispering before he scrambled from the bed then dashed to the balcony. “Thank fuck,” he said to himself, knowing they were on the second floor. He swung his leg over the railing then gave Chihaya a smile and a wave then continued to climb down using the brick and vines. Eren had to hurry back to his own room before his parents found out he was gone.

***

Levi watched Eren go with an amused expression before his mother’s incessant beating on the door and irate voice finally pulled him away and he went to remove the barricade from in front of it. He then spent the next forty-five minutes listening to his mother bitch and ream him out for having locked her out in the first place, but he tuned her out for the most part, finding himself thinking of his fiance instead. She went on for so long and would have continued if they hadn’t had another more pressing engagement. As it was, they were nearly late to the ceremony.

 

The wedding was long winded, filled with tediously outdated and, in Levi’s opinion, boringly useless traditions. The minister prattled on and on; Levi was fairly certain he could hear someone in the hall snoring. There was press and constant flashes from cameras, a multitude of guests neither he or Eren had invited, majority of which neither of them even knew and the decor was so opulent and extravagant, it was dizzying. Levi spent most of the thing staring at the violet speckled white orchid pinned to Eren’s lapel just to avoid getting motion sickness. By the time it came for kissing, he’d never been so grateful for the fact that tradition dictated it be chaste and swift; he couldn’t even be bothered that it was another man’s lips he was locking with because it meant the hours long ceremony had finally come to a close. 

His relief was short lived though as he was immediately whisked away by his mother to change from his traditional kimono into an equally beautiful, elegantly designed ball gown that gave him the illusion of feminine curves he simply did not possess. Painstaking touch ups to his make up and restyling of his hair, shoes that made his feet throb like nothing he could describe and more incessant nattering from his mother with the occasional rib from his uncle. They arrived at least an hour later to the reception and upon entering the massive hall decorated just as intensely as the ceremony hall had been, Levi realized they’d only traded one shitshow for another.

He and Eren were paraded about like show animals, introduced to people that all looked the damn same and whose names neither of them even cared to try to remember. He was starving, but every time they tried to sit down to grab a bite, they were pulled right back up and into the masses for pictures or more greetings, gratitude for gifts he honestly could give less than half a fuck about and horrendously fabricated stories about his childhood that never happened. Then they were dancing and dancing and fucking dancing and Levi could only think about his poor feet that were probably a lovely shade of purple by the time Kenny was adequately sloshed to be making ridiculous toasts and telling outlandish tales about literally every embarrassing thing his _niece_ had ever done. Levi was too exhausted and hungry to even find it in himself to be embarrassed anymore. Everything about the evening was false, fabricated, fake, a lie, everything except for Eren’s hand held in his and he was at least comforted knowing that he was not in this alone. 

It was four in the morning by the time the guests and their parents were too drunk to pay attention to Eren and Chihaya. The newlyweds were left alone sitting at the head table with empty bellies. They never did get their chance to eat; Eren almost cried as he watched the caterers pack up and leave after promising himself the whole night that he would snag some food for the both of them. Although there was no one to pretend for, he continued to hold Chihaya’s hand, feeling like he might float away without his wife to hold him down.

“Do you know what time the limo was supposed to pick us up to take us to the airport,” he asked, breaking the sullen silence, praying for this hellish night to end. 

Levi blinked out of his blank stare and looked over to his husband… God that was weird to think. “Uh, six in the morning I think… Why don’t we sneak away and just take a cab there now. We could maybe stop for something to eat along the way. I’m so fucking hungry, I don’t even care if it’s snacks from the nearest convenience store, to be honest,” he answered, voice soft and tired as he replied to Eren’s inquiry, already scanning the people still mingling and drinking, less than there had been initially, but still enough of a crowd that they could probably sneak off unnoticed and be on their way before his mother or Eren’s realized they were gone.

Eren nodded as he stood up, still holding Chihaya’s hand as he mapped out an exit strategy. Spying an emergency exit, he started leading them towards it as he pulled out his phone to request an Uber. Immediately, he noticed that his now wife couldn't keep up with his pace, making him glance backwards to see her limp along in the heels. "Feet hurt?" he asked with a frown, wondering how to remedy the situation before an idea popped into his head. Eren swooped down to pick her up princess style with a grunt, not expecting the tiny girl to be so heavy. "Fuck... What are you packing under that dress? Dumbbells?" he groaned, kicking the escape door open with his foot then shifting sideways to maneuver them out the door. It was nice and cool outside, damp like it had rained a couple hours previous. "Jesus... We gotta find you some flip flops or something... Thank god you didn't eat anything," Eren teased mercilessly, hiking her up as he stumbled towards the street where the car would be waiting.

Levi yelped in a most unladylike manner when Eren hefted him into his arms and instinctively wrapped his own arms around the other man’s shoulders tightly to balance himself. He could feel heat in his cheeks and at the back of his neck and knew he was blushing and was damn grateful for the layers of makeup that no doubt covered it. He managed to collect himself enough to respond to Eren’s teasing as a bellhop came out with a trolley of their luggage, no doubt in preparation for the limo that was scheduled to arrive in the next couple hours. “You’d be surprised what I keep under all these layers,” he said, kicking the infernal heels off his feet with a groan of relief before he continued, a smile he couldn’t quite conceal stretching his painted lips, “Now quit your whining, you wimp. I’m not _that_ heavy.”

"Mmm," Eren hummed, pausing his stride for a moment to squeeze Chihaya where his hands held on to her. "Huh. I thought a girl was supposed to be all soft and fleshy... You are quite muscular," Eren observed before he swooped down to pick up her discarded heels. "Not like it matters to me anyway. You lack a certain... a- _hem_..." Eren said with a smirk as his voice faded away to leave Chihaya to fill in the blanks. 

A sleek black car was already in front of the hotel so Eren motioned to the bellhop to pack their luggage in. He shifted Chihaya in his arms to open the backseat door, then carefully set her down and gave back her shoes. "I'm gonna help the guy out before someone catches us and makes us stay longer," he said, before he closed the door and began heaving their belongings into the trunk.

Levi’s grin broadened, but he didn’t say anything until he was sure Eren was out of earshot, murmuring under his breath, “You have no idea sweet cheeks…” And he found himself chuckling under his breath and shaking his head. It was a funny thing really, ironic that his husband was gay and under the impression he’d married a woman. He wondered what kind of expression Eren would have if he found out the truth. Maybe someday, he’d find out, but that day wasn’t today. He was quiet again by the time Eren slipped into the seat next to him, but the ghost of his smile was still on his lips. Finally, they were going to be away from his mother and Eren’s, somewhere warm and thankfully halfway across the world from both their families for the next month and all he could think about was that Eren wasn’t the worst company to have on a month long vacation trip. He was actually looking forward to it.

***

The flight was long, but not excessively so, made more bearable by the fact that they had exclusive use of the Jaeger family’s private jet. Levi spent majority of it sleeping and the time he wasn’t was spent watching movies with Eren and making up their own commentary which was much more entertaining than the original scripting for the films. It was surprisingly easy and comfortable around the young man that was now his spouse, almost enough that Levi could forget that he had to play the role of Chihaya. Nothing about the marriage was as he had expected and he found himself able to enjoy it. He didn’t have to worry about Eren trying to molest him or expecting him to produce children anytime soon; he didn’t have to curb his appetite or his language and he could almost be himself.

By the time they arrived in Rome and made it to their hotel, the both of them were so jetlagged and still tired from the events of the past few days that they couldn’t even be bothered by the singular bed provided in the honeymoon suite. It was big enough anyways, and they weren’t exactly planning to cuddle. They ate and relaxed and spent the first couple of days not even leaving the oversized suite, simply enjoying the lack of pressure and generally catching up on lost sleep. Levi read mostly, watched hilarious Italian soap operas and overstuffed himself on pasta just because he could without fear of reprimand. Eren didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. 

"So fucking hot out," Eren whined, draped over a large lounger in their honeymoon suite, only wearing a pair of boxers. It hadn't taken him long to be comfortable and unembarassed around Chihaya; they were "man and wife" and he had nothing to hide. Sitting up, a light sheen of sweat on his tanned, toned body shimmered in the sunlight as he inspected Chihaya’s fully clothed form in wonder. How the fuck could she stand the heat? He was about to ask her before he changed direction, not wanting to pry. "We should go do… something, fucking anything… I'm going to die of boredom," he moaned, trying to think of something fun to do, "Oh! We should go swimming!" he exclaimed, bouncing off the chair to go dig through his luggage, frowning when Chihaya didn't immediately get up as well.

Levi shook his head, “Um no, I don’t, I mean, I _can’t_... Uhh,” he floundered for an adequate excuse as to why he could not go swimming as Eren had suggested. It was bloody hot as his husband had so graciously stated and Levi would seriously love to be out of the stuffy clothing he was wearing. Not to mention, he loved to swim, but, there was no way he could wear a bikini without giving away his gender. No amount of tucking was going to make his balls disappear in a get up like that… “It’s you know, _that_ time of the month,” he finished awkwardly, flushing with genuine embarrassment. Jesus Christ, how was he going to pull this shit off for an entire month?

Eren looked confused for a moment, before his eyes widened into saucers. He raised his hands and shook his head as he sputtered, "O-Oh... I'm sorry, I didn't... I um..." His face was as bright as a cherry tomato and he was unsuccessful in back tracking.

Levi sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, trying to think of something to dispel the sudden awkward embarrassment that settled between them. “Mm, I don’t mind accompanying you poolside if you’d like to go. Let me just change into something lighter. We can have dinner and drinks at the pool bar tonight if you like. We’re on our honeymoon after all, we might as well enjoy ourselves,” he suggested, getting up, already intent on doing as he’d said.

Eren instantly relaxed and gave Chihaya a bright smile. "That sounds good... Sucks you can't swim though," Eren said, before he finally managed to dig his white swim shorts out of his luggage then dashed into the bathroom to change.

Little over twenty minutes later, Levi was seated in a lounger wearing a white sundress patterned with blue flowers, a tapered waist and billowy skirt that fell just below his knees, along with a sheer wrap-around to cover his pale shoulders and make his lack of prominent bust less noticeable. To finish off the outfit, he’d decided on a pair of beaded sandals, large floppy sun hat and dark sunglasses, looking every bit the part he was playing. 

He had his legs crossed and a book in his lap, a cold drink next to him on the little table along with Eren’s, his husband already off in the pool, his towel laid on the empty lounger on the other side of the table. Levi glanced over at the pool every so often, seeking him out to be sure he didn’t lose him amongst the other tourists and pretended to be reading though he couldn’t seem to concentrate in the slightest, his mind centered around how he was going to continue playing wife to the other male without telling Eren the truth. There was no way he would be able to keep up the charade in the long run with flimsy excuses and cheap wit. Eren didn’t strike him as an idiot.

It only took a couple laps around the pool for Eren to be completely bored with no one to entertain him. He dived into the water then came up on the ledge where Chihaya was sitting, filling his mouth with water to squirt at the girl. The unamused look he got was enough to make Eren smirk then pull himself out of the water.

He shook himself off and sent a scattering of water droplets at his surroundings then he flopped into his lounger to grab his colourful drink. "I'm bored," he exclaimed, reaching with his free hand to poke her in the belly.

Levi jumped and dropped his book when the unexpectedly ticklish poke to his side came and he scowled at Eren, trying futilely to compose himself while his face flamed with embarrassment. He had been distracted by the sheen of water on tan skin, watching his husband as he flopped back on the other lounger for which he had no real explanation, curiosity maybe... He cleared his throat and pretended he hadn’t been looking, sure Eren wouldn’t be able to tell otherwise on the account of his thankfully oversized sunglasses, “Have a drink and relax, why don’t you? Or did you have some other form of entertainment in mind? I’m afraid I don’t know very many good drinking games.”

"How about you relax," Eren teased, leaning on the loungers armrest to look at Chihaya intently. He frowned for a moment, "You have such beautiful eyes," he said like he was almost in a trance, hand reaching forward like he wanted to remove the ridiculously large shades, "It's a shame you covered them..." 

When Chihaya flinched away from Eren's hand, he came out of his trance, almost surprised that he’d done that as well. Turning bright red and leaning back into his own lounger, Eren coughed, then downed his entire drink. "D-Drinking games... Um... there's truth or dare," Eren suggested, keeping his gaze lowered on his empty glass.

Levi would have scoffed or argued or something if it weren’t for the fact that Eren was leaning in when he made his compliment and Levi’s snarky rebuttal died on his tongue. His face felt even hotter and he shied away before Eren could make contact, uncertain what to make of the other man’s actions, especially when Eren had claimed he had no romantic interest in women. Maybe it was instinctive or something else, some kind of weird imposed attraction because they were allies and married… It had to be because Levi was pretty sure he was feeling the draw just a bit too and that had never happened before, at least not with another man. 

He looked away when Eren did and cleared his throat again just to be sure he could find his voice to respond when Eren spoke again. “Mm, okay, I think I know that one… You start while the server gets you another drink,” he said, his voice quieter and maybe a tad shier than it’d been before as he reached up with one hand to tuck stray strands of dark hair behind his ear more out of habit than any necessity.

Eren slouched back in the lounger and looked to the evening sky, trying to think of something. "Dare... Take a shooter of your least favourite alcohol without any chase," Eren said, turning to give Chihaya a devilish grin.

Levi made a face, but agreed, waving over a server and ordering a shot of sambuca. As soon as the server returned with both the shot and Eren's refill, the raven tossed it back, grimacing and shuddering as he swallowed it. He slammed the little shot glass down on the table, shaking his head and complaining, "Ugh disgusting. That shit's fucking awful." He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand in a futile bid to rid his lips of the lingering taste of black licorice and adjusted his hat to rest further back on his head. "My turn... Hmm, truth, most embarrassing thing you've ever done."

Eren's face scrunched up and he shook his head. "Ah you don't wanna know that," he protested, kicking his feet childishly and hiding his face behind his hands.

"It can't be that bad. I've had plenty of embarrassing moments myself... But if you really don't want to say, you're going to have to chug your drink," Levi wheedled sweetly, batting his lashes at Eren and reaching for his own drink, nibbling on the brightly coloured straw protruding from the equally bright, fruity beverage. It was almost a little fun like this, playing his role, teasing the young man cheekily with no fear that his faux flirting might be taken seriously. It was also kind of strange because he didn't have to force it as much as he thought he would.

Eren peeked through his fingers at his partner, a spark of determination flashing in the bright green depths before he took a deep breath and let it out. "Okay... So... I was pretty young when I figured out that I wasn't very interested in the opposite sex, no offence... I confided in my best buddy Jean, who’s a bit of an asshole... He said that I couldn't be gay unless I liked stuff up the ass. Me being the competitive little shit I am, with no access to an actual adult toy, decided to experiment with a cucumber..." Eren paused a moment and shuddered, taking a long drink from his newly delivered glass, "Well... I somehow lost the fucker and had to go to the ER for them to dig it out..." His face turned bright red and then he hung his head, trying not to laugh at his own story.

Levi's brow wrinkled, trying to both imagine and not imagine such a scenario, a crooked smile taking up residence on his pink stained lips. "Okay, that _is_ pretty bad... Was it at least peeled?" He questioned, unable to imagine trying to shove any phallic shaped object up his own ass, let alone a vegetable.

Eren burst out laughing, squirming in his seat at the girl’s rebuttal. "Why the fuck would I peel it before shoving it up there?" he asked in exasperation. He took another hearty swig, finally buzzing, and turned his head to give Chihaya a ghoulish grin. "Safe to say, it took me a couple years to get the courage to try it again. But I gotta admit... Prostate orgasms are like the best. 10 outta 10, definitely recommend," he said, starting to giggle, giving her a big thumbs up.

Levi wrinkled his nose, though his odd little smile didn't waver on his lips. "Well how should I know? I just figured... I mean they're more uhhh slippery when they're peeled. _I_ would have peeled it," he justified, vehemently ignoring the heat he could feel in his face. Jesus Christ, now he was legitimately thinking about how to go about putting a cucumber up Eren's ass in the most comfortable way possible, and it especially didn't help that the other young man was now grinning and had ardently boasted just how good such a thing could feel... God help him. He downed the last of his drink and cleared his throat, trying to shake the curious thoughts, decided they'd best get off the subject altogether and prompted, "Your turn."

"Mmmmmm... Truth..." Eren said even though he was still giggling. He leaned forward with his chin in his hand, looking Chihaya up and down, "What kind of guys, or I guess girls are you attracted to?" he asked, bouncing in his seat, admittedly curious about the kind of partners his now wife had had.

Levi wasn’t sure what kind of expression he made in response to Eren’s inquiry. It caught him off guard and he didn’t have an answer readily available so it took him a moment to consider how he would work around it without giving anything away. He’d never even really considered his preferences. He was pretty adventurous when it came to sex and he couldn’t think of any specific physical characteristics that he liked aside from thighs and asses which he supposed wasn’t really specific to any gender. Really, if he was going to be honest, he was beginning to get curious about gay sex. He’d never considered being with another man before and he wasn’t sure if he would be alright with being the “receiver” but it might be interesting to give it a go in future, though he wasn’t likely to experiment in that regard when first exploring it if he ever did… He looked at his drink with wide eyes, setting it back down on the table, blaming the alcohol for the unexpected tangent his thoughts had taken. He shook his head and forced himself back to the original question he’d been asked. 

“Umm, fuck this is embarrassing... I guess people with nice legs and firm butts, good sense of humour and can hold a conversation… Soft hair is always nice too, umm and a pretty smile,” he paused, trying to think of anything else that generally caught his attention when seeking out a partner, “Oh! They have to smell good too and have good hygeine. That shit’s important,” he finished, suddenly very aware of how many of those particular traits his husband had. Fuck, he’d basically described everything about Eren that he’d unadmittedly found appealing.

Eren didn't connect the dots that Chihaya might have been describing him. It didn't even cross his mind; he just nodded his head as he sipped his drink. "All of those things definitely make sense... The guys that usually get me going are like... Bad asses," he said then he started to giggle again, "Assholes probably... Dark hair with pretty eyes..." He squirmed a little in his seat then gave her a mischievous smile. "Kind of person just makes you weak in the knees you know... Fuck," he said, lifting the band of his swim shorts to look, "Gotta see if my dick is still there... I sound so cheesy, it might as well have fallen off. Must be the alcohol... Let's get more!" He bounded out of his seat to scramble to the bar, bringing back a whole tray full of shots.

Levi could have laughed at Eren's description. It was so fucking ironic. In another life, they probably could have dated or something like normal people, but as it was, Levi, who'd never considered dating another man until now, was dressed in drag and as far as Eren knew had all the wrong “fixings”. He had to wonder what he'd done in a past life to deserve the hand he'd been dealt in this one. What a fucking joke...

But he didn't say anything, just smiled and nodded his agreement to Eren's enthusiastic suggestion to drink more, though Levi really probably shouldn't. He removed his sunglasses and his hat, setting them aside with his earlier discarded book as he watched Eren return with a tray of assorted shooters.

It was dark and late by the time they finished playing their drinking game which had more or less become an uninhibited and rather amusing bout of twenty questions with a few sporadic dares sprinkled in and they were both intoxicated by the end. Eren more so than Levi whom was currently supporting his husband’s weight as they staggered and weaved their way back to their room.

As his wife was trying to get the door to their suite open, Eren was drunkenly staring at the side of her jawline, smiling like a madman. "This whole... this whole thing’s so... so fucked up," he suddenly slurred, leaning closer and closer to her face, admiring her sharp bone structure and pale skin. "But I'm glad I got stuck with you," he mumbled like he was almost talking to himself before he began to nuzzle into her neck. The smell he was greeted with was unexpected, deep and spicey, nothing like the flowery sweetness he'd always attributed to women.

Levi shuddered as Eren pressed his face against his neck, warm breath damp against the sensitive column of flesh and he couldn't even do anything to deter him without letting him fall or giving up on getting them inside the room. He let out a heavy breath when the door beeped and he turned the handle, stumbling inside with Eren's weight against him, struggling to get his shoes off as the door closed behind them with a soft snick. "I have to agree with you there, this is all kinds of fucked up. You don't even know the half of it," he mumbled as he tried to maneuver Eren so that he would stop sending electric shocks through Levi and making goosebumps rise on his body while also attempting to coax the young man out of his own shoes. "C'mon, get your shoes off so I can tuck you in you lush," he prompted with a half smile despite the heated flush that had spread and was still spreading under his skin.

Eren doubled down, shaking his head as his arms snaked around what he thought was a feminine waist. "Don't wanna," he breathed, burying his face deeper into her neck. Not really meaning to, his fingers started to press into the hard muscles of Chihaya's back, making himself frown. "Shit... I think you are more muscular than me," he said finally pulling back to try and look into her pretty eyes dazedly. "That's kinda hot," he said, almost like it was an afterthought, and almost like he didn't mean to say it out loud. He gave her a goofy smile then fell back into her neck, nosing against the soft skin happily.

Levi's breath hitched involuntarily and he could feel the heat of arousal building and spreading further as Eren began pawing at him and reburied his face against Levi's throat. This was bad... He felt his cock twitch with interest and closed his eyes, trying to will it not to make itself known, desperately trying to remind his rebellious body that he was _supposed_ to be a woman at the moment. Woman certainly didn't pop boners when pretty drunk boys nuzzled at their necks. Fuck... This was _very_ bad. 

"Eren," he warned, voice coming out much deeper and huskier than he'd meant for it to, but it wasn't like he had much control over it at this point. He reached to steady Eren, intending to get him moving again as quickly as possible, but all he ended up doing was squeezing the brunette's waist, unreasonably unable to push him away harshly like he really fucking should.

"Shhhhhh," Eren said, sloppily pinching her mouth so that he could figure out what he wanted to happen. So many feelings and emotions and thoughts were running through his head and all he could focus on was staying in contact with his wife. Pulling back to rest his forehead on hers, he stared deeply into her eyes and asked, "Is this so bad? Am I no good?... I'll leave... leave you alone if you don't... want me to... I don't know... Don't know what I'm doing..." He sighed deeply then unwound his arms to fall back onto their bed.

“I don’t what you’re doing eith--” Levi’s responding words cut off abruptly. Because Eren had been so close and Levi was held staunchly in his grasp, drawn in by the scent, sound and feel of him… How long had it been since he’d been intimate with anyone? Weeks? His eyes widened. _Months?_ ...When Eren unexpectedly withdrew, Levi who’d been leaning into him as much as Eren had been relying on his support, lost balance and stumbled, only to unavoidably land half on top of the other young man with a sharp exhale of breath. Shit… 

He managed to maneuver himself somewhat, propping himself on his elbows awkwardly, sinking into the plush mattress which provided literally no leverage for him to remove himself from atop Eren. Unable to roll off of him without crushing a rather sensitive part of either of their bodies at the moment, Levi was suspended, poised and hovering in a rigid pose, his lower abdomen and hips flush with the other male’s, overeager and mostly hard cock pressed between them, unseen, but definitely _felt_. Levi froze, unsure what to do, face and body flushed with the heat of both embarrassment and misplaced arousal, cursing his unruly and apparently adventurous anatomy as he prayed that Eren was too drunk to notice or connect what the stiffness was. Jesus Christ, this night could literally not have been more awkward…

"Oof..." Eren breathed as the sudden weight of another body fell on top of him none too gently, knocking the air out of him. "Ow," he whined, hands moving to hold onto the hips that were now digging into his own, cracking one eye open, "That hurt... I’m sorry I got an erection, but you didn't have to flatten the poor guy..." He shifted underneath the added weight, forcing an involuntary little gasp and whine of pleasure from himself as something just as hot and hard pressed against his own delicate place. Both of his eyes flew open wide as he looked at Chihaya on top of him, then down between them, quickly working his hand between their hips to feel the mirrored hardness that _shouldn't_ be there. Not believing what he was feeling, he groped even harder, as his face scrunched up in confusion. "What the fuck?" he whispered in shock.


	3. The Consummation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the support and patience! Enjoy this next installment of this fic. You thirsty buggers all been waiting for it. ;p

Levi stiffened further, drawing in a hissing breath through his teeth as his cock pulsed and throbbed, getting harder beneath the pressure of Eren’s hand. “Don’t-” he gritted. Don’t what? Don’t mention it? Don’t worry about it? Don’t grab my fucking dick?! He was at a loss. He should move away, go lock himself up in the bathroom or something and silently die of embarrassment while he worked out how to get himself out of this situation, but it was hard to concentrate on escaping when all he really wanted to do was rut into Eren’s seeking hand. He was not supposed to want that at all. He’d just completely blown his cover while in the middle of an existential crisis with his own sexuality, especially because he definitely couldn’t blame it on the role he was playing. This was quite possibly the worst and most awkward way for his husband to find out the truth and Levi had no clue how he was going to smooth things over if Eren flipped out which he was increasingly sure the other male was going to do and ‘oops, my bad’ wasn’t going to fucking cut it.. One thing was for fucking sure, he was totally fucked…

Using his weight against the smaller body on top of him, Eren flipped them over and pinned his supposed wife into the bed, green eyes wide open, but not necessarily in anger. "You... have a penis..." he said haltingly, still holding onto it with one hand, not harshly, but his grip was enough that it would hurt if Chihaya... or whoever this was tried to get away.

Levi’s face darkened and he shifted uncomfortably under Eren, unable to throw him off when the brunette had a rather possessive and threatening hold on his manhood. Jesus Christ, this was the absolute worst… “It’s not… You weren’t supposed to… Fuck… I can explain?” he managed awkwardly, his voice completely devoid of the previously feminine quality it had had as he fisted the bedding in a white-knuckled grip in order to keep himself from lashing out. It would certainly be easy enough to start throwing punches, catch Eren off guard, knock his ass out and flee, maybe, but he couldn’t really justify it. After all, Eren had every right to be pissed off, all things considered.

Eren instantly deflated, letting go, then burying his face in his wife's neck again, his body weight probably crushing the smaller person beneath him. He shook his head a little. This wasn't his wife. "Why... Why didn't you tell me?... Is your name even Chihaya? How did you... Were you just gonna pretend like this for the rest of our lives?" he asked, his voice sounding more sober and very hurt as he continued to talk.

Levi worried at his lip as Eren’s voice belaid his hurt. He breathed out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes a moment while he answered quietly, feeling extremely guilty for having thought to keep up the ruse without telling the other young man. He should have when Eren had been honest with him before the wedding, but he’d been too afraid of what would happen had his mother somehow found out.

“I would have told you eventually… Probably. And no, my name’s not Chihaya, at least not on my real birth certificate; it’s Levi. And I was going to keep up this shitty farce for as long as I could or until I was sure it was safe to tell you…” he paused, taking in another breath, “I never meant to hurt you Eren. I didn’t even want to do this in the first place, but my family... It wasn’t supposed to be like this… I’m sorry, I really am.”

"Yeah... Okay..." Eren breathed into his neck, giving his... husband(?) one last squeeze before he rolled off to lay beside him with an arm covering his eyes. "I guess it makes sense... I feel a little less crazy now..." Eren mused, his voice still belaying his hurt, "I've never ever been attracted to a girl before... And with you there was this... I don't know... This weird energy... Spark or something...Everything about you made me want to get closer. I thought I'd gone insane and had to question everything I thought I knew about myself... I had to consider if I was maybe bi or some shit..." Eren rambled.

Levi finally opened his eyes again, blowing out another breath up into his fringe when Eren rolled off of him and sprawled out next to him instead. He turned onto his side to look at the brunette, taking in his dishevelled state, his arm obscuring his pretty eyes from view. Levi was caught between being disappointed and glad that Eren wasn’t looking at him as he spoke. His words struck a familiar chord in the raven haired male that was echoed in the slowly fading arousal still aching between his thighs. He knew _exactly_ what Eren was talking about. He was struggling with it at this very moment. “I’m not gay,” he said abruptly as if it was necessary to say it aloud, belatedly realizing how ridiculous it sounded since Eren had literally had his hard on in his hand, and amending, “Or at least I didn’t think I was. Maybe I’m the one that’s bi or something. All of this has completely fucked up my head. I wasn’t supposed to _like_ you…”

Eren visibly flinched when Levi said he wasn't gay, but continued to listen as Levi explained further. Eren bit his lip for a moment before he removed his arm and turned his head to look Levi in the eye. It was a long shot, but Eren was still very uninhibited by the alcohol, moving his hand across the bed to clasp Levi's hand. "Wanna find out?" he asked, threading his fingers through Levi's, wondering how he wasn't more freaked out. Their situation was so fucked up to begin with, Eren didn't have the capacity to freak out anymore. He figured he'd just roll with it.

Shapely, dark brows rose as Levi’s mercury eyes widened, not quite having expected to be propositioned after his admission. It probably wasn’t the best idea since Eren was really drunk and Levi wasn’t exactly sober himself, but they _were_ married and he didn’t think it constituted as taking advantage if Eren was literally offering to fool around as he slipped his fingers between Levi’s. “How?” Levi asked curiously, wetting his lips as he looked down at their hands and back to Eren’s face, threads of interest and excitement prickling under his skin.

"Mmmmm..." Eren thought, trying to think through the alcohol haze that clouded his mind. "Well... See if you can kiss me. Touch me. That kind of stuff," he suggested, not moving from where he was lying, but giving Levi's hand a squeeze, "If you get grossed out then I guess you aren't into guys..." Eren shrugged. There would be no hard feelings if Levi couldn't. Eren hadn't even expected him to be interested. But since he was, might as well give it a try. 

Eren frowned for a moment looking at the long hair, dress, and makeup that belonged to who he thought was Chihaya. That wouldn't do. "But... You should probably take your disguise off. I wanna... I wanna actually be kissing the real you..."

Levi blinked dumbly, completely forgetting he was even dressed in drag at the moment as his mind stumbled over the idea of kissing Eren, touching him and being touched intimately in return, heart beating faster by the moment. “Uh… Right,” he agreed, belatedly realizing what it was Eren had suggested. He sat up, letting go of Eren’s hand and fumbling to pull out the dreaded extensions from his hair, revealing the short shorn part of his favoured undercut, tossing them onto the nightstand haphazardly and grabbing a tissue to scrub off the thankfully limited make up he had adorned for the day. Once he’d finished, he tossed the tissue into the wastebasket between the bed and nightstand then peeled off the wrap around he had on, dropping it to the floor before he reached awkwardly over his shoulder, struggling to unzip the back of the sundress he was wearing. 

“Mm, this is probably gonna be super weird to ask, but can you unzip my dress?” he asked, vehemently refusing to acknowledge the heat that rose in his cheeks. He’d seriously never thought he’d be the one asking a potential sex partner to assist in that particular department before and it was fucking weird to be saying it, though it was kind of necessary if he wanted to take the damn thing off quickly. 

"You're right... Super weird," Eren said, sitting up and shuffling towards Levi on his knees to unzip the dress. As the pale muscular expanse of Levi's back came into Eren's view, he couldn't stop himself from leaning forward and gently kissing it with an open mouth. "Oh goosebumps," Eren said with a chuckle before unzipping the dress the rest of the way, waiting for Levi to make the next move.

Levi shivered and rolled his shoulders as the goosebumps rose on his skin, the muscles in his back tensing and relaxing with the motion as the dress slipped off to pool in his lap. He shifted to wiggle it the rest of the way off, kicking it across the room with no regard for where it ended up. It was incredibly liberating to be rid of it, sitting there on the mattress in just his underwear which were the only article of clothing that were not women’s. Every day since they’d left on their honeymoon, Levi had refused to donne panties of any fucking sort, opting instead to wear the usual assorted dark boxer briefs that were at least marginally more comfortable with his junk tucked and taped as it had been, though he had been lax with that particular demand since he’d been away from his mother’s watchful eyes as well, choosing mostly loose fitting skirts and dresses that would easily obscure any prominent bulge in his drawers instead of causing himself any further discomfort. Until Eren had groped him and he’d gotten hard, it hadn’t been an issue in the slightest. 

He turned back towards Eren, his torso and abdomen unabashedly on display, just as toned as the rest of him and flexing with each breath he took. “What should I do now?” he asked, shifting his hands as though he wanted to reach for Eren, but unsure how to proceed, his gaze darting to Eren’s mouth and back to his eyes repeatedly. Maybe he should just kiss him. If he were a girl, Levi would already have his tongue in her mouth and be at the very least getting his hands up under her clothes, but Eren wasn’t a fucking girl and he didn’t know if treating him the same as he would one of the “fairer sex” would be somehow offensive. He was nervous, but eager and he definitely didn’t want to turn Eren off of the idea to experiment, especially when his dick already seemed to be recovering its earlier state of arousal…

Eren smiled, cocking his head to the side as he sat back on his ankles. "What do you want to do?" he asked coyly before biting his lip hard enough to make it red. His bright green eyes trailed up and down Levi's body then lingered on Levi's lips, saying breathily, "I know what I want you to do..."

Levi licked his lips and swallowed, dick twitching in response to Eren’s tone. Apparently, his lower half didn’t have any issue with the seductive words coming from a very male partner. Well alright then, who the hell was he to argue? He shifted, crawling over Eren, pressing him back against the bedding, one hand pressing into the pillow next to Eren’s head to support him while his other caressed the side of Eren’s face, fingers slipping into the surprisingly silky chocolate locks as he ran a thumb along the other male’s jaw, his silvery gaze taking in the softened and flushed features of his husband’s face and coming to linger on plump lips. Eren was definitely not unattractive. It was now or never and being the risk taker he generally was, Levi leaned in, eyes becoming hooded as he closed the distance between them, pressing his mouth to Eren’s without further hesitation. It was chaste at first, but deciding pretty quickly that the sensation of the other man’s lips against his own was not unpleasant, the raven deepened the liplock without preamble, a hum of approval rumbling in his chest as he sank down against Eren firmly. 

Eren pressed back with enthusiasm, opening his legs wider for Levi to comfortably relax between them and opened his mouth to give the other man the option to explore. He hummed with pleasure when Levi's tongue did push passed his lips to tangle with his own. He began to roll his body against the push of Levi's, then pulled his mouth away, moving to nibble on Levi's neck. "How you doing... So far?" Eren asked in Levi's ear, his hands moving up and down his husband’s back to properly appreciate the muscles that he’d groped earlier. He tried to ignore how dizzy he was starting to feel and the protest of his stomach. He should not have drank as much as he had, but he couldn't find the damns to give; without alcohol, none of this would have ever happened.

Levi licked his lips when Eren broke the kiss, a smirk forming on them as he pressed his hips down against Eren’s, effectively grinding his erection against the brunette’s as he answered huskily, “How do you think?” He ran his hands down Eren’s sides, boldly snaking them under the shirt he’d put on earlier in the evening when the sun had went down and the temperature had cooled, to caress and explore the soft skin beneath, easily recalling the golden tone of the tanned flesh as his fingers kneaded over it greedily. It was surprisingly natural and not at all offputting that Eren had no breasts and that an equally interested hardness was rubbing alongside his own, thrilling in a way Levi hadn’t experienced before. It wasn’t bad at all. Maybe he _was_ into guys too, or maybe it was just Eren in specific, but he couldn’t really care to analyze it further at the moment, much more interested in exploring the new territory instead.

"Levi F-Fuck," Eren breathed when Levi began to grind his erection into his own, making his back arch off the bed as he threw his head back into the plush mattress. Feeling bolder once he felt the mirrored hardness, Eren expertly pushed off the mattress to flip their positions, careful not to cage Levi in incase he got cold feet at the last minute. "I wanna make you feel good," Eren whispered into Levi's ear, before he began to kiss and suck his way down Levi's ripped torso, making his way to more dangerous and erotic waters. He managed to hide his minute loss of balance, wishing he hadn't decided to take the lead when he was so shaky but he couldn't back down now; one wrong move that freaked Levi out and it could all be over.

Levi palmed Eren’s hips, helping to steady him when he flipped them over. He didn’t mind if the other male wanted to take the lead. He was pretty sure so long as Eren didn’t suddenly try and stick anything up his ass, he wasn’t going to flinch… on second thought, even if Eren did try to touch his ass, he might not mind so long as he had some warning maybe… He internally shook his head and refocused on what the other man was doing, humming and growling appreciatively as his husband mouthed at his neck and chest. His own hands slipped back up under Eren’s shirt, traveling up the toned expanse of his torso to thumb curiously over peaked nipples, eager to learn any sweet spots Eren might have. “I’m all yours _bishounen_. I got no complaints so far,” he murmured lowly, rolling his hips up against the press of Eren’s backside to demonstrate his point and encourage the brunette to continue.

Eren moaned instantly as soon as Levi began to thumb his nipples, making him pause in his descent to sucking him off. But it was only for a moment, his green eyes flashing with lust as he reached back to pull off his shirt. Shifting down Levi's body, he began to kiss the skin just above the rim of Levi's underwear before he suggestively grabbed the band with his teeth to snap. He instantly sat up to look into Levi's eyes and ask, "I wanna suck you off... Can I?" He was hovering over Levi, swaying more than he meant to, ignoring the warning signs in his excitement and arousal.

Looking up at Eren through his lashes, Levi’s devilish little smirk returned to his mouth and he ran his thumbs over Eren’s nipples again. “Well since you asked so politely,” he replied, a teasing lilt to the otherwise breathy tone as his cock throbbed its desperate approval of the idea. Male or not, a mouth was a mouth and Levi wasn’t about to turn down head. He was pretty sure Eren’s lips would look fucking fabulous wrapped around his dick anyhow and was more than enthusiastic to find out if his prediction was true.

Eren smiled and nodded his head vigorously, about to swoop down and work his magic, when a very sudden and unpleasant feeling that he couldn't ignore rolled its way through his body. His eyes widened in surprise and his hand instantly lifted to cover his mouth as he fell back on his ass between Levi's legs. Eren was frozen like that for a few silent moments before his eyes visibly crossed and he scrambled to the edge of the bed to begin puking directly onto the floor.

Levi’s brow furrowed when Eren quite abruptly drew away and he half sat up, propping himself up on his elbows and squinting at the other male. He let out a low groan when Eren suddenly flung himself over the edge of the bed and promptly barfed all over the floor. Well, that was a fucking mood killer if ever there was one. Levi inhaled a deep breath through his mouth to avoid the smell of sick he just _knew_ was now permeating the room and sat up fully, shifting over to rub Eren’s back as the brunette wretched. His erection was already flagging, a deep ache settling in the pit of his stomach for being denied his release, but he couldn’t exactly be pissed, though he was decidedly disappointed. It wasn’t like Eren had meant to puke; it was probably from all the liquor he’d drank.

Eren gagged and heaved a few more times, spilling yuck all over the nice carpet of their honey moon suite. When he was done he whimpered for a moment then wiped his mouth on his arm, rolling onto his side and curling into the comforting hand on his back. "S-Sorry..." he said, drunkenly mortified that he threw up, "When the world stops spinning I'll... I'll clean it up... Sorry, I'm sorry..."

“It’s fine, you just… don’t move,” Levi directed, rubbing Eren’s back for another moment before he got off the bed, careful to avoid to the puddle of vomit on the rug as he made his way to the bathroom. He came back with a glass of water, two tablets of ibuprofen and dixie cup of mouthwash. He set the water and pills on the nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed again. “Here, rinse your mouth out,” he ordered, offering the mouthwash to Eren before he leaned over to grab the wastebasket next to the bed and held it out over the side of the mattress, “Spit.” Once Eren had complied with a grimace and a groan, he took the emptied cup from him, tossed it in the garbage as well and gave Eren the water and the pills, waited until he’d taken them and drained half the glass before he returned it to the nightstand and set the little garbage pail on the floor a couple inches from the puke puddle, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

“I got this sweet cheeks, go to sleep,” he murmured, reaching to brush his fingers through the back of Eren’s tangled hair until he heard the inevitable evening out of his breath and a soft snore. He glanced at the time which was going on four in the morning now and heaved a sigh, running a hand through his hair before he got up, threw on a pair of lavender silk pajamas, haphazardly replaced his hair extensions and went in search of a maid cart, grateful to find one tucked into a service closet at the end of the hall. He spent the next hour cleaning up the mess Eren had made before. 

Finally satisfied that the room no longer smelled like a rancid mix of acid and alcohol and the carpet wouldn’t be stained, he spent a moment resituating Eren, then slipped into the other side of the bed. What a fucking night… At least he knew now that he wasn’t as straight as he’d previously assumed. He fully intended to pursue that newly founded facet of himself with his husband once Eren was sober. After all, the brunette still owed him that blowjob. He curled up behind Eren and wrapped an arm lazily around his middle before he finally shut his own eyes, incapable of even considering what morning might be like between them.

***

When Eren woke up the next morning, he sat up and was quickly filled with regret since his head was pounding and he felt like shit. With squinted eyes, he looked around the room then to his side to see his wife curled up next to him. His face scrunched up in confusion, Chihaya wasn't one to cuddle... Eren shrugged and figured they’d both been so drunk last night that they must've fell into bed and went straight to sleep.

Eren smiled, just about to put his hand on her pajama covered shoulder to wake her up when a flash of something crossed his mind. "Levi..." Eren whispered, eyes going wide, then face turning bright red as he scooted out of bed to run to the bathroom. He couldn't believe that he’d dreamed Chihaya was a dude! "What the fuck," he whined, looking down at his instant erection as flashes of his dream kept coming back to him. He didn't think he'd had a more detailed dream and he was sad that it’d never really gotten an ending, but he couldn't think of this shit. "No, no, no, no, no," he told himself, slapping himself hard on the cheeks no matter how badly his head hurt, "Just because you are freaking out over being attracted to a _girl_ , doesn't mean you can fantasize about your wife turning into a sexy ass dude named Levi. Life doesn't work that way, get a hold of yourself," he lectured his reflection, before he turned on the shower to ice cold. Obviously, he needed to calm the fuck down before he pulled a move on his unsuspecting wife and their whole alliance went to shit.

Levi rolled over with his eyes still closed, a low humming rumble sounding in his chest, one hand slipping under his shirt to lazily scratch at his belly while his other reached across the bed in search of his husband. His brow furrowed as he felt the depression and warmth still lingering where Eren had slept, but was obviously no longer there, and heaved a sigh, finally cracking his eyes open halfway. He propped himself up on one elbow, looking around for the other male, running his unoccupied hand through his hair with a grumble as his fingers tangled in the extended locks as the sound of the shower finally registered. Well at least he knew Eren hadn’t woken up, freaked out and fled. That had to be a good sign right?

He got up a few moments later, made a call for breakfast, brushed his lengthened hair and pulled the dark locks into a loose ponytail before he made a pot of coffee in the kitchen area of their suite, taking a cup out onto the balcony once it had finished brewing. He leaned on the railing and just watched the city come to life while he waited for Eren to be finished in the bathroom so he could have his own shower and get dressed, wondering idly how they were going to approach what had happened the night before.

Eren had stared at himself hard in the mirror, lecturing himself to back off before he ruined everything they had built together. He needed to silence whatever sexual feelings had cropped up about his wife and bury them deep down where he couldn't find them. Nodding to himself, he threw on a black t-shirt that hugged his body, and white shorts that framed his ass, dabbing a bit of his favourite cologne on his neck and wrists. It was time to flirt with some randoms to get his mind off of his female partner. And flirting wasn’t outside the bounds of remaining faithful, certainly. 

He finally exited the bathroom, looking around to see his wife out on the veranda. "Hey," he called, making busy work of tidying up all of his shit that had escaped his luggage to litter the suite, "Bathroom’s free if you need it..."

Levi was so lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice Eren until the other male spoke. He gave a start, cursing when coffee sloshed over his hand which he promptly shook off, and turned towards the open patio doorway, eyeing Eren as he bent to pick up the clothing and other essentials spilling out of his luggage. His gaze lingered on the firm roundness of Eren’s backside and his long legs for several drawn seconds before he shook his head. He cleared his throat as he stepped inside, setting his coffee on the nearest surface. 

“Sure, thanks,” he replied, voice soft and still husky from sleep as he moved to collect a bundle of clothing he’d set out for himself and made his way across the room to the freed bathroom, adding as an afterthought before he closed the door behind himself, “I ordered breakfast just so you know.” Eren hadn’t said anything about the night before and Levi couldn’t be sure what it meant. Did he regret it? Or was he too embarrassed? Whatever it was, Levi wasn’t willing to be the first to bring it up, at least not at the moment. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know… What if Eren really did regret it? How was he to know if he’d done something weird or uncomfortable or something? It wasn’t as if he’d fooled around with another guy before. He’d thought things had been good; Eren had certainly seemed eager enough, but maybe he’d just been drunk and faking it… Fuck… He wanted to know, but he didn’t, torn between curiosity and an odd bit of insecurity. Maybe he’d be feeling bolder after he showered and ate.

Eren looked up at the almost male sounding voice, then shook his head. He couldn't keep living in his own delusions. Chihaya was a girl. Levi was something that he had created in an alcoholic haze and he needed to forget about it.

Eren answered the door when room service knocked and set up their breakfast on the veranda, rehearsing what he wanted to say over and over again in his head. He was so lost in his head, staring at the now lukewarm coffee he’d barely touched, that when Chihaya sat in front of him, he almost dumped the whole cup on himself. "Morning," he greeted, giving her a strained smile, trying not to look her right in the eye lest he see Levi instead, "Good shower?"

Levi, now dressed in a pair of capris and billowy peasant shirt with his still damp hair held in a high ponytail, bangs framing his face attractively, sat across from his husband and tucked one leg up beneath himself in the cushioned seat, raising a brow as Eren obviously avoided making eye contact. The nervousness in the evasive behaviour and strained smile gave him the impression that Eren was more than likely embarrassed. At least that was better than regretful or ashamed. He could work with that. “It would have been better with company,” he answered, lowering his lashes and watching Eren’s reaction carefully.

Eren immediately looked up, eyes widening for a moment before he shook his head hard. "Chihaya, I really wanted to talk to you... I think... Well I don't know... I was really drunk... And I don't remember a lot from last night... Well more like anything at all," Eren began, turning bright red and fidgeting in his seat, "I hope... I'm not a good drunk... I think I probably embarrassed myself, didn't I?" He fell silent, his face turned downwards as he looked up at her through his eyelashes. Hopefully, he would forget the dream soon, so that he could move on from this fixation he’d developed.

Levi blinked. So that was it then… Eren didn’t even remember. Well fuck… He wet his lips and tilted his head, watching Eren blush and fidget. “Not particularly until you got sick all over the floor, but otherwise, I don’t have any complaints. You really don’t remember anything _at all_?” he answered truthfully, voice automatically taking on a more feminine quality again as he debated whether or not he should explain the evening in detail or not. What if he did and Eren reacted badly now that he was sober? Maybe it would be better to just feel it out a bit and see if Eren remembered later.

"Uh... I remember I told you I stuck a cucumber up my ass... And that you smelled good... And learned that I have a very active imagination," Eren replied, purposely remaining vague. There was no way he would ever tell her that he’d basically had a wet dream about her being a guy; no way in hell. "I don't drink often... I've never been one to handle my liquor well... I'm sorry, I'll make sure it doesn't happen again," Eren promised, bowing his head in apology.

Levi couldn’t help the chuckle that echoed in his chest, the memory of Eren’s mishap and his obvious embarrassment over it resurfacing the humour from the night previous and peaking his curiosity about just what Eren thought he’d imagined. “You did. No need to apologize. Can’t say I’d mind if it happened again; you’re a cute drunk in my opinion, at least when you aren’t bent over the bed losing your dinner. What did you imagine?” he said teasingly, selecting a scone from their breakfast spread and idly picking it apart with his fingertips, popping a bite into his mouth and chewing as he eyed Eren with interest.

Eren turned an even brighter shade of red, shaking his head furiously and waving his arms in protest. "Just... Had some interesting dreams... It's embarrassing... There's no way in hell I’m telling you about it," he protested, wishing for the floor to swallow him up right where he was sitting. He knew for the last little while that he was thinking maybe that he was bisexual, or at least had the hots for Chihaya. Except the dream proved that he wanted her to be something she wasn't; male. He couldn't put his unrealistic expectations on her. No, Eren had to protect his relationship with his wife and get over whatever attraction he felt. That was the end of it.

“More embarrassing than telling me about the cucumber debacle? Must’ve been some dreams,” Levi replied, teasing lilt still underlying his tone as he watched Eren squirm. Now he was _really_ fucking curious about what Eren’s “dreams” had entailed, but aside from teasing him, he didn’t intend to pry further just yet, still holding out for the possibility that Eren would remember what had actually taken place between them the night before. He finished off his scone and reached for a glass of orange juice. He decided to change the subject for the time being, “So what do you want to do today?”

"You don't even know the half of it," Eren muttered to himself, finally eating some food, cautious since his stomach still wasn't that happy with him. He didn't want to puke again like he supposedly did last night. "I dunno... I'm kind of hungover... But I'm up to do whatever... We haven't done much since we got here," he answered before popping a piece of strawberry into his mouth.

“Hm,” Levi hummed thoughtfully. They really hadn’t done much, but they had a lot of time still to play tourist. They could always just stay in again until Eren had recovered, but they could at least maybe plan out some sightseeing. There was a tonne of art and architecture to see in Italy and Levi was definitely interested in exploring it in the next few weeks before they would be returning home. “Well we don’t have to _go_ anywhere today, but maybe we can visit the tourist center the resort provides and pick up some guides and maps and shit, so we can plan out some adventures for the rest of our stay,” he finally suggested, plucking a few grapes from the breakfast tray and munching on them idly while Eren picked at his food with far less enthusiasm and Levi was glad he had a better tolerance for alcohol than his husband seemed too. Being hungover was never a pleasant experience.

Eren smiled, "Yeah sounds good. We can probably do something this evening. I'll be good by then. It'll be fun!" He grabbed a grape and threw it up in the air to catch with his mouth. Eren grinned triumphantly and did it a few more times before he finally missed, showing off for his wife.

***

With Eren’s affirmation, they finished breakfast leisurely, idly talking about some of the places they might like to visit, Levi becoming particularly animated while talking about the famed and rich art history, galleries and masterpieces Italy boasted. Once they’d finished eating, they’d gone to the tourist station off to the left side of the hotel lobby where Levi was distracted enough by the guides, maps, and pamphlets dedicated to the arts and architecture not to pay much attention to his husband’s subtle flirting with the olive skinned and freckled young man behind the information counter. He didn’t really think too much of it; the kid was pretty cute really, but he didn’t exactly fit the description of Eren’s preferred type that he’d revealed to Levi the night before, so he wasn’t all that concerned about the fairly tame flirtation.

They returned to their room where Eren napped and Levi spent what was, in his opinion, an excessive amount of time getting ready for the plans they’d decided on for the evening. Dinner and sightseeing through the cobbled square where theater performers, musicians and artists were known to frequent, surrounded by a number of unique little shops. Levi would have preferred to go out as himself, to hold Eren’s hand or wrap an arm around his waist like he would on any other date, but he had to keep up the appearance of being the “wife” for the hotel staff.

Without having any more masculine, date-appropriate attire, he'd dressed in another dress, dark blue, tapered at the waist with a large bow tied at its back, capped sleeves that rested over his biceps, leaving his shoulders and collar bared, but he'd opted to donne a sheer cream and navy flowered scarf which he'd draped carefully to cover his adam’s apple, broader shoulders, and keep attention away from his lack of cleavage and subtly stuffed bosom. The skirt was pleated and layered, giving the impression of hips that were far less narrow than his actually were and showed off milky calves adorned with low-heeled strappy gladiator sandals that added a couple inches to his height, but weren’t uncomfortable. He opted to keep his make up simple, only a dusting of smoky slate eyeshadow, mascara that made his lashes even longer and thicker than they already were and a rosy lip stain that looked natural. In short, he looked disappointingly pretty. His mother would probably be proud and he wasn’t unaware of the appreciative looks he received as he and Eren made their way through the streets, but disappointing because he’d rather have been handsome instead, knowing Eren would certainly appreciate it better.

As it was, their dinner was good, probably couldn’t have been at a more romantic little bistro patio tucked between two buildings and lit with candles and warm strung lights, but Eren flirted then too with their server, and avoided looking at Levi as much as possible. By the time they had finished dinner and looking around at the shops, now simply loitering in the square while watching a troupe of performers accompanied by a group of musicians, Levi was getting rather frustrated with his husband’s increasing avoidance and distance. It was made worse by his apparent interest in any handsome Italian boy that caught his attention while he practically ignored Levi altogether, though he would respond when Levi drew his attention forcefully. Levi was getting downright pissed off. He’d been made to witness Eren smiling that nice smile and batting those fucking pretty eyes of his not once, not twice, but literally every time another young man looked his way, all too happy for the distraction from his “wife.” It was fucking infuriating because if Eren would just fucking remember, he wouldn’t need to look anywhere else. Levi was literally right in front of him.

As Eren’s warm laughter rose between them in response to whatever the brawny blonde thespian he was currently making eyes at had said and Levi watched him raise a hand to touch at one muscled shoulder, his patience ran out entirely. “Eren, I want to go back to the hotel _now,_ ” he demanded petulantly, crossing his arms under the underwhelming curve of his fake bust and glaring at the blonde that was smiling right back at his husband. He’d had more than enough of this awkward avoidance and distraction strategy Eren was employing for whatever idiotic reason. When they got back to their suite, Levi was going to _make_ him remember one way or another.

Eren's eyes widened at the horribly irritated tone of his wife's voice and turned to give her a confused look. She'd been the one to pick their activities for the evening, and Eren thought she would be enjoying herself, but the entire night, her irritation continued to rise into what seemed like barely contained rage. "Um," he uttered awkwardly, looking back to the guy who had actually just asked for his number. He sighed, turning back to Chihaya instantly, "If that's what you want..." He turned back to the muscly blonde to say goodbye and the guy abruptly swooped in to give Eren a kiss on each cheek, whispering in his ear that he frequented this particular street of Rome often if Eren ever wanted to come find him again. Eren turned bright red, very embarrassed as he gave a very awkward wave in goodbye then dashed to grab Chihaya's arm to run away. "Jesus fuck... I cannot believe he did that in front of the whole street. I'm so embarrassed," Eren whined to his wife, before he tried to subtly turn his head to look back. "He was cute though... Not my usual type, but accents in any language are hot," Eren gushed, still holding Chihaya's hand as he lead them back to the hotel.

Levi snorted, pulling his hand away from Eren’s, seething, and remarked under his breath as they were entering the elevator, “Could’ve fooled me with the way you’ve been flirting with everything with two legs, a cock, and a heartbeat.” He jabbed the button for their floor with more force than necessary and leaned against the far wall with his arms crossed and a scowl on his lips, not looking at Eren as a handful of other people slipped in with them, forcing his husband to remain rather close to his side as the doors closed and the elevator began its ascent. Better not to get too into it until they were in the privacy of their own room anyways. 

Levi was at his breaking point, the unsated tension from the night before and the building frustration throughout the day had put him so on edge, he was practically itching for a fight or a fuck. Preferably a fuck or at least fight that resulted in a fuck… Christ, he was losing his damn mind over this shit. When had he decided Eren belonged to him? He hadn’t had any fucking issue with the idea of Eren seeing anyone else outside their marriage before the previous night, hadn’t even had the slightest inclination that he might actually want to explore the apparent less than hetero side of his sexuality before then and in a matter of hours, fucking _everything_ had changed. And it was all Eren’s fucking fault.

Eren's smile dropped, and immediately glared at his wife for the insult he’d heard Chihaya spit under her breath. "What the fuck," Eren muttered, knowing she heard him as they waited for the elevator to stop on their floor. Finally, they were able to get off and Eren stormed down the hall to their room, not even waiting for his wife, fumbling at the door because he couldn't get the keycard to work. "For fuck’s sake," he cursed, still trying to get the door open as Chihaya came up behind him. He continued to fail at opening the door before he cursed again and moved to the side, almost yelling, "You do it then," turning his head and crossing his arms. How dare she say that shit about him! She basically called him a man whore when every fucking guy and girl in the near vicinity had had their eyes on his wife. Eren tried to give her fucking space as everyone and their dogs hit on her, but of course he was damned for his own exploits that had been purely innocent.

Levi snatched the key card from Eren's hand and proceeded to swipe it through the reader correctly, snarling right back, "Shouldn't be surprised you can't remember how to open the damn door since you seem to have a shit memory all around. Can't even bloody well remember what actually happened last night." The door trilled and he swung it open, stalking inside, immediately ripping off his sandals and haphazardly tossing them by the door most uncharacteristically, too irritated to give a shit about where they landed or keeping his voice feminine anymore. He huffed angrily as he stepped further into the room, yanking the extensions out of his hair viciously and tossing them and his scarf onto the bed before reaching behind himself to tear awkwardly at the bow resting at the small of his back, turned away from Eren as the young man closed the door behind them.

"What the fuck is your problem?! Like seriously, are you being a bitch ‘cause of your fucking period? Do I need to go get chocolate and ice cream or some shi-" Eren barked back, slamming the door and turning around, the biting words cutting off as he instantly fell silent, eyes wide like he’d seen a ghost. "Y-Your... Your hair," Eren said haltingly, watching as the man he thought he’d dreamt up was revealed as Chihaya threw off more clothing. He started stepping towards her like he was in a daze, almost thinking he was hallucinating.

Levi looked over his shoulder, half turning towards Eren, silver eyes narrowing as the other man approached. "Anything coming back to you yet?" He questioned, "How about now?" He continued, turning to face Eren properly and tugging out the squishy little bust cups from the front of his dress, tossing them at the other male, hitting him in the chest before they plopped down onto the floor before him. "Remember my name yet? Need me to refresh your memory further?" He took a step towards Eren, his male attributes now quite clearly on display despite the dress and makeup he was still wearing.

Eren was frozen for a few moments, paralyzed in shock before he whispered, "Levi..." That's all it took before he dashed forward to tackle Levi onto the bed and kiss him hard, uncaring if the other man was still angry. His mouth frantically moved against the other male’s, his movements frenzied as he began to work his hands over every single toned muscle his, he guessed _husband_ , possessed. Eren pulled back just a bit to speak against Levi's lips, "You're real! I didn't dream you up, you're... You're Levi!" He almost felt drunk or high on the taste of Levi's mouth, immediately shoving his tongue inside to tangle together, unable to stop himself or slow down.

Levi growled into the kiss, hands immediately groping at Eren's sides and migrating to his hips and finally his ass, squeezing and kneading firmly, just as possessive as Eren's on his chest and shoulders. Fucking finally! 

"It’s about fucking time you figured it out. You should have just fucking said something this morning you dumb shit. I've been waiting all day to see if anything came back to you," he scolded huskily before Eren's mouth was on his again. His body lit up with eager arousal, more than happy to continue where they'd left off the night before and he rolled Eren over, pinning him under his body and grinding his already stiffening cock against a mirrored hardness, hips flush with his husband's. He growled and hummed his approval as his hands untucked Eren's shirt and wormed their way underneath, fingertips massaging at the dimples in his lower back, arching him further into his own body, letting instinct dictate how and where he touched the other male, passionately exploring the sensations and wholly new territories being intimate with Eren opened to him. It felt good, natural, and Eren certainly didn't seem to be complaining, so Levi didn't bother questioning his attraction any further, accepting the new and unexpected facet of himself easily enough. It wasn't as if he could change it even if he tried to argue with himself. He wanted Eren regardless of his gender and that was good enough an answer for him. He couldn’t even be concerned with whether or not he was acting accordingly anymore.

"Fuck off... You looked like a girl when I woke up," Eren growled right back, but definitely didn't push the other man away; pulled him closer instead. "I thought I’d just had the best wet dream of my life... Do you know how insane I would have sounded if you’d actually been a girl?" Eren said shakily between molten kisses as his back arched off the bed. "Fuck... I've wanted you so bad," he panted into Levi's mouth, "Every time we met eyes, I thought I was gonna pop a boner!"

Levi chuckled against the side of Eren's mouth, "I thought you'd be more of a risk taker given your history. Even if it sounded crazy, you'd have known so much sooner that you hadn't been dreaming and we could have had a proper date, regardless of what the fuck I was wearing," he murmured, lips moving along the side of Eren's jaw and down his throat heatedly, nipping and sucking marks into his tanned skin. "You aren't the only one wanting, sweet cheeks. I want you pretty badly here if you couldn't tell," he breathed over Eren's collar before he pulled back to roughly pull Eren's shirt off and adjust the dress he was still wearing, bunching it up at his waist so that the erection straining against his own underwear could more freely rut against his husband's. His hands were back on Eren as soon as he'd finished, nimbly unbuttoning the shorts he was wearing and sneaking inside to grope at his backside.

"Fuck," Eren swore, biting his lip as his hands worked their way into Levi's lifted dress before he paused. Eren moved so that he could look up directly into Levi's eyes, panting as his brows furrowed, remembering something from the night before that made him stop. "I seem to recall you saying you weren't gay... Are we good then? Think you can fuck a guy?" he asked, rubbing his hands up and down Levi's thighs, getting closer and closer to touching his erection.

Levi breathed another laugh, "Does it seem like I have any reservations?" He rolled his hips into Eren's and squeezed his ass to prove his point further, smiling down at him before he pressed in for another kiss.

"Wait, wait, you lecher," Eren giggled, wiggling under Levi's body weight, before he tried to be serious. "I am way too fucking horny... If you freak out halfway and blue ball me, I'll have to go find that fucking blonde and let him fuck me in an alley or some shit," Eren warned, his hands moving downwards to hook his thumbs in the band of his boxer briefs. "You haven't touched me at all, or even seen me fully naked," he explained as Levi narrowed his gaze in response to the threat, becoming more and more embarrassed, "How about you have a look-see to make sure you're good... And then we can get to you fucking me hard up the ass..."

Levi sat back on his haunches, eyeing Eren heatedly. "Fine by me. But this better be the last time I hear about anyone else fucking you while you're in bed with me. I'm apparently possessive," he replied, shifting where he sat, having difficulty remaining still as his body thrummed with arousal, Eren's coy taunting not helping in the least. He could quite clearly see the bulge of the other male's cock beneath the fabric of his bottoms and licked his lips, watching with avid interest as Eren began to remove the barrier.

"Well if this works out," Eren began breathlessly, lifting his hips off the bed to slowly pull his shorts and underwear down until his achingly hard cock sprang free, "You could be the only person that ever fucks me again... Since we are married and all." He pulled the shorts the rest of the way down to his knees and kicked them off, then laid back and tried not to fidget under Levi's intense gaze, his cock twitching as it was examined. Trying to release some pressure, he grabbed it himself to give it a tug, rolling his hips into his fist as his eyes fluttered closed and he moaned from his own touch. "What do you... Think?" he asked through a hitching breath, his eyes now half lidded and his body subtly shaking with anticipation.

Levi's eyes were hooded, pupils dilated, rimmed in a thin ring silver and avidly watching Eren touching himself. He licked his lips again and swallowed unconsciously, his cock throbbing beneath the pooled fabric of the dress he was still wearing, hardly registering the breathy words Eren had spoken over the rushing of his blood in his ears. "I think... We'd better see if this suite came with complimentary lube," he murmured, voice low and husky, one hand sliding up Eren's thigh, squeezing and kneading the warm, plump flesh while the other tentatively reached out to cover over Eren's grip on his straining shaft, "Fuck, you might be the hottest thing I've ever seen."

Eren wet his lips then smiled, relaxing a little bit since Levi didn't seem too skittish, moving his hand to let Levi touch his dick without the barrier. He immediately moaned in response to the feel of soft, pale skin gripping his erection and it took him a few moments to be able to speak. "Like we'd wanna use that cheap shit," Eren breathed before he reached across the bed to his night table to dig through the drawer and grab his own bottle of lube that he’d brought with him. He rolled his hips into Levi's hand and asked, "W-Want me to prep myself?" Eren wasn't sure how much longer he'd last, the heat deep in his belly and balls threatening to burst prematurely, looking up at Levi with green eyes filled with want and lust. He needed to get stretched out so that Levi could stick it in as fast as possible.

Levi cocked his head, thumbing over the head of Eren's cock lazily as he watched him retrieve a bottle of lubricant from his nightstand, smirking as Eren's breath hitched. "Hmm, up to you sweet cheeks. Might be quicker if you do it yourself. I've never done it before, can't promise my curiosity won't get the best of me," he answered, rubbing the tip of his thumb beneath the ridge of Eren's cock, his fingers squeezing around the shaft tauntingly while his other hand palmed at Eren's ass.

Eren's eyes momentarily rolled back and he shuddered as Levi played with the sensitive head of his cock until he shooed Levi's hand away. "Fuck, that feels good," he huffed, but continued to roll onto his stomach, lifting his hips into the air, knees sinking into the mattress as he poured a hefty amount of lube into one hand. "It's kinda embarrassing for you to watch," he mumbled into the bedding, though he still reached back between his legs to slick his entrance with lube, wasting no time in sticking two fingers inside himself roughly.

“You’ve got _nothing_ to be embarrassed about _bishounen_ , trust me,” came Levi’s guttural response as he followed Eren’s every movement with his eyes. He shuffled forward on his knees and reached to slide his hands up and down the dip of Eren’s spine before he settled them on the plush cheeks of his ass and used the grip to part them to better see. He growled appreciatively as he watched Eren’s fingers disappearing inside himself, wet his lips and shifted restlessly as his cock throbbed demandingly. He never would have guessed that watching another man finger himself would be such a fucking potent turn on, but watching Eren do it, he was having a hard time restraining the urge to replace those long, slim, tanned digits with his dick. And he made a promise to himself that he was going to explore that little orifice with his own fingers and maybe even his mouth at some point in the near future, just later. After all, this was their honeymoon; what better way to spend the rest of it than learning all about what made Eren scream and moan like that? 

Eren instinctively arched his back even more under Levi's scrutiny, his face burning brighter as he worked himself open. He hadn't exactly expected Levi to want to watch so closely and it was hard to continue, but then he thought fuck it, might as well give him a good show. Shoving another finger in, he moaned loudly at the intense stretching feeling, digging deeper to where he knew he'd find his prostate, his hips beginning to move with his hand as he finger fucked himself open. "Ah... fuck... Levi..." he breathed, turning his head to look back, green catching silver, "It’s gonna feel so good when it's you instead... Gonna fuck me hard right? Please, I need it, Ah!- Just a bit more... I can't wait long enough to do it properly so it's gonna be tight..." Finally he found the spongy little button he was looking for, an intense shudder sweeping through his entire body and making him yell out, "Ah fuck there it is, fuck yes... Ah mmmm fu-," before he fell forward into the mattress and his voice was muffled, using his fingers to continue massaging it frantically.

Dark brows arched as Eren cried out, the motion of his hand quickening and desperate and Levi made note of it. Must have found his prostate and god damn he hadn’t been lying about how much he enjoyed stimulating it. Levi leaned forward, kissing and biting Eren’s back and sides, leaving possessive marks and lapping up the fine salty sheen of sweat from his skin greedily, spurred on by the sounds Eren was making and the breathy words that fell from his mouth. His left hand sought out the discarded bottle of lube blindly while he growled huskily against Eren’s slick skin, “Just tell me when sweet cheeks, I’m ready whenever you are.” Popping the cap open on the lube, his other hand was already pressing the fabric of his dress aside so he could hastily slather his cock with a healthy coating of the slippery liquid.

Eren ripped his fingers out, lifting his head to look at Levi frantically. "How do you want me? I need it, I need it, I need it, please fuck me, holy fucking shit, put it in, put it in, put it in," he begged, unsure of what to do, he was so desperate to be fucked as hard and as fast as possible.

Levi rubbed one hand up Eren’s spine and back down soothingly, breathily commanding, “Shh, settle down love. Breathe, just breathe before you pass out… Flip over, wanna be able to watch you while I fuck you.” He reached for the excess pillows from his side at the head of the bed and promptly shoved them under Eren’s back as the other male clumsily followed his demand. 

Levi sat back again a moment, one hand sliding up and down on his own dick lazily as he admired Eren’s sprawled form, the shuddering rise and fall of his chest, desperate shifting of his hips and the subtle twitch of his flushed and weeping cock against his smooth belly. The spread of his thighs, curve of his waist, peaked and rosy nipples, tanned column of throat where his adam’s apple bobbed and his pulse beat against the already marked up skin, feverish and begging green eyes, hazy and blown with desire, heavily hooded by thick cinnamon lashes and all framed by a halo of damp and tangled chestnut hair, Eren was the picture of sin, more arousing than any pinup Levi’d ever come across. 

“Fucking beautiful,” he murmured hoarsely before his unoccupied hand was very suddenly at Eren’s hip, his other guiding his cock where it most definitely needed to be, growling in frustrated impatience when his rumpled dress got in the way. He yanked it up and held the material between his teeth as he shifted forward, hovering between Eren’s thighs and finally, finally sinking inside. He had to do it slowly, pull back and push in again, repeating the shallow thrusts until Eren’s body adjusted to the girth of his cock and greedily drew him in all the way to the hilt. It was fucking tight. But then he was in all the way and Eren was making the prettiest fucking sounds and it was so hot and Levi’s hips shifted back and slammed forward again. Eren had said he wanted it hard; who was he to deny his pretty husband when he pled so fucking beautifully?

Eren was about to tackle Levi onto the bed and shove it in himself, he was aching to be filled so bad, but he managed to stay laying on his back, toes curling and uncurling as he squirmed, panted, and trembled, desperate for Levi to enter. It felt like forever for Levi to finally push in, going way too slow for Eren's taste, ignoring the stretching burn and discomfort. He did everything he could to egg the man on to fuck him faster, so when Levi finally did pull it out and slam it back in, Eren cried out in ecstasy, "Yes, fuck yes! Like that! Please, harder!" His hands even moved to Levi's hips, trying to push and pull to make the man thrust with more speed and strength. "Oh god yes," Eren moaned, moving his hips to slam up into Levi's as hard as he could manage. He bet Levi would never have had sex as hard and as fast as he would with Eren, but this is how he liked it, so Levi better be able to keep up.

Levi breathed harshly through his nose, his growls and low grunts of pleasure muffled by the fabric in his mouth as he began to thrust roughly, pulling back and slamming back in with little resistance as Eren’s hands groped at his hips and ass desperately. He didn’t bother holding back any longer, his own hands bruising on Eren’s hips as he yanked them into each and every powerful and harsh thrust of his own. It was fucking awesome!

No girl Levi’d ever been with had been as willing or as demanding that he move harder and faster, to not bother trying to curb the desire to completely lose control and wreck them the way Eren was and Levi did just that. He leaned back, tilted his head to better keep the dress out of his way so he could see his cock pounding in and out of Eren with heated interest, the new angle causing Eren’s body to clench and ripple around him wantonly while he practically screamed. Levi hoped it was safe to assume he’d managed to find Eren’s prostate and focused his thrusts there as best he could. It was only a few minutes before he spit the damp, wrinkled hem of his dress out to order, “Touch yourself beautiful, wanna watch you.” He’d have done it himself if he thought he could let go of Eren’s hips and still maintain the ferocious pace he’d set; as it was, he had to keep a vice like grip on the other male just to be sure he’d be able to keep ahold of him and continue fucking into him as intensely as Eren was begging him too. Not that he needed to encourage Levi any further; the raven was more than happy to oblige. It was too fucking perfect inside Eren. 

He could already feel his own orgasm building, coiling low in his gut, winding tighter and hotter with every thrust. “S’okay if I cum inside you?” he managed to pant, not quite ready to meet his end just yet, but figuring he’d better ask before it was too late, just in case. 

Eren could barely speak around his screams and moans, grabbing onto his dick roughly, fisting it in time with Levi's thrusts. He'd been watching Levi's cock disappear inside him when he heard Levi's question. Meeting Levi's silver eyes with his burning green, he smiled, gasping as he moaned, "You better fucking stuff me full of cum or I won't let you fuck me again!" before he threw his head back and yelled, "I'm close, fuck me harder!" Eren moved his arm furiously over his cock maybe five more times in quick succession until he gasped, his whole body clenching as white liquid exploded from the tip of his dick, coating his entire torso in cum.

Levi didn’t need to be told twice. He rocked into Eren harder and as fast as possible, roughly slamming his hips flush against the other male’s ass as lewd squelching and slapping sounds rose between them to accompany Eren’s hoarse screams and begging moans and Levi’s harsh breaths, guttural growls and heady groans. “Fuck, fuck, fuck… Eren… Hah! Holy shit…” Levi cursed when Eren came, the slick channel Eren’s ass provided growing impossibly tighter, rippling convulsively and strangling his cock, forcing and milking his own release from him. He managed to thrust a handful more times into the clenching heat, erratic and unforgiving before he stiffened, fingertips biting into Eren’s hips and thighs as he came in thick, heady waves, filling the brunette with warm stickiness. He collapsed on top of Eren seconds after, hips jerking sporadically as he shivered with aftershocks, pressing lazy kisses over his chest, shoulders, neck and jaw, not at all deterred by the spattering of Eren’s bitter-salty release smeared there, licking his lips clean as his hands migrated from gripping Eren’s hips to kneading his sides fondly. “Fuck that was intense, could definitely get used to this… Well maybe without the fucking dress next time,” he chuckled breathily against Eren’s collar, dropping another affectionate kiss there.

"God I needed that," Eren said between staggering breaths, his chest heaving as he waited for the stars to leave his eyes. Finally, he opened them as he chuckled, running his hands affectionately through Levi's damp hair then down his back, smoothing the soft cloth against the other man's body. "I dunno, it was kind of hot being fucked by you in a dress... It seems I've discovered a new kink," he observed, kissing away beads of sweat from Levi's forehead, "Doesn't have to be next time, but you're definitely doing it again..." Eren relaxed under Levi, stretching out and wiggling to signal for Levi to pull out. "I'm a pretty demanding lover, hope you can keep up," he added with a smirk, waiting for the other man to move so they could clean up. It was way too hot for them to cuddle, and Eren figured too much touching would lead to round two, although he was up for another go or two, just maybe not as rough.

Levi snorted amusedly. "I don't think that'll be a problem sweet cheeks. Had no idea what I was missing, gonna have to make up for lost time," he said huskily, still a little breathless as he pulled himself off Eren, using his dress to wipe off his flagging erection and smirking at the utterly debauched image his husband presented. He slipped off the bed a moment later, immediately reaching to pick Eren up bridal style, grinning all the while. "Think we could both use a shower. I'll wash your back for you," he said, casting a cheeky wink at the brunette in his arms as he swaggered towards the ensuite bathroom.

Eren squeaked loudly and girlishly as he was picked up, kicking his feet and slapping Levi hard on the back, but the other man didn't drop him, smirk remaining plastered on his face. Eren stopped protesting and began to pout as he was set on the counter while Levi readied the shower. "I don't even know if I can stand, you asshole. You better be prepared to take it up the ass at some point as well," he teased, looking at Levi's body with heated interest.

Levi looked over his shoulder at Eren, a crooked smile on his lips as he replied, "I didn't say I wouldn't. After all you did give prostate orgasms a ten out of ten and after witnessing first hand, think I'll have to see what it's all about at some point." 

Judging the water to be a good temperature, cool, but not chilly, he stepped back over to Eren, presenting his back to him and grinned teasingly over his shoulder as he requested, "Unzip me?"

Eren grinned back, jumping off the sink only to stumble on shaky legs. "Jesus fuck," Eren swore, falling into Levi's arms, "Can't even walk straight." Looking up at Levi again, he gave him a pat on the back, "Good job," he said with a laugh, managing to unzip Levi's dress then limp his way into the shower, thankful there was a seat to sit down on in the luxury steam room.

Levi watched Eren with a funny little grin as he limped into the shower, slipping the dress off unconsciously, his eyes glued to his husband's backside and the milky trail of cum that was trailing down his inner thigh. He'd done that and he was damn proud of it. The grin only broadened as he followed Eren seconds later, closing the glass door behind them, eager to wash the both of them. Who was he kidding; he was eager for any reason to have his hands on Eren again. Suddenly the term honeymoon really seemed to live up to its reputation and arranged or not, Levi'd never been so happy to have tied the knot.


	4. The Divorce

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What has 4 letters, sometimes 9 letters, but never has 5 letters.

The following weeks of their honeymoon were spent like the newlyweds they were. During the day, they went out, saw the sights, visited the places Levi had been excited to view, took in the culture and the rich history, held hands, kissed, talked, teased, laughed and learned about each other as they’d never had the chance to previously, no pretenses, no falsities. At night, they learned each other’s bodies, touched, tasted, took their time with their pleasure. By the time they were to return home, Levi knew he was in love. It’d been surprisingly easy to fall for Eren. He couldn’t have ever predicted it, could never have guessed he’d fall for another man, but it was what it was and he wouldn’t change it for all the world. It was so ironic, destined or fated or something else that he had married the man he loved before he’d ever known he loved him. It wasn’t perfect, but it was good.

They were both anxious on the return flight, obviously unhappy about the prospect of returning to the lies their lives were back home, but at least they were together and they knew the truths they were forced to hide. Shockingly enough, their mothers were somewhat restrained upon their return. Kuchel was too busy with the buyout, already divvying up the dollars between her brother and herself and Eren’s mother was “giving the newlyweds time to settle in” in the house she’d purchased for them while they’d been away, though as the weeks passed, she’d been suspiciously quiet. Unbeknownst to Levi and Eren, she had her own suspicions. Her “gay” son was entirely too happy with his wife, almost giddy whenever he spoke of her and Carla was not naive enough to believe he had suddenly found heterosexuality. When questioned, he’d been vague and defensive, too careful with his words when he was normally impulsive and spoke more often than not without thinking things through. Something had to be amiss. 

Her suspicions grew as she got word that the Ackerman buyout had went through and the siblings had wasted little time cashing in and leaving on an as of yet indefinite vacation and still Eren and his wife lived happily, blissfully as if unaffected, as if they were in love… It was impossible she decided, unfathomable, and she needed to know what was really going on. She reasoned it was in Eren’s best interests; he must be being taken advantage of somehow. She hired a private investigator, paid handsomely for his services and she got more than her money’s worth. In the thick manila envelope he discreetly delivered to her were a birth certificate and hundreds of photos of Eren and Chihaya only Chihaya was not always herself, but a raven-haired man by the name of Levi Ackerman. There were candid polaroids depicting him donning his disguise, out on Eren’s arm, at home in the pool without it, even some more risque shots of he and her son obviously getting _well-acquainted_ with one another. And more still in which Eren was the one dressed as a woman while his _wife_ played the role of husband. It was appalling. They’d been swindled and this con artist was living it up with her son as if it was natural, as if he belonged when he did not. He was probably conning Eren, using his wiles to blind her boy to what he really was, gold-digging thief like the family that had bred him. If the press ever found out… She couldn’t abide by it, no matter how happy Eren appeared. It wasn’t appropriate, not for their son, not for their name, and certainly not for their reputation.

So it was that she came to be on their front stoop, unannounced, livid, and equipped with the plethora of photographs she’d acquired. This farce would go no further. She was prepared to put an end to it by any means necessary and had every intention of making this _Levi Ackerman_ pay for the lies his family had spun, the crimes they had committed before he had a chance to escape as they had. As far as she was concerned, he was as much at fault as his mother and uncle and since there was little chance of getting ahold of the pair of siblings wherever they’d snuck off to on the coast to properly attain retribution, she would hold the young man fully accountable. He would not get away with his transgressions against their family. 

She rang the doorbell and knocked, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for someone to answer, knowing full well the couple was at home. It came as no surprise to her when her son answered the door, wide-eyed, flushed and disheveled, obviously panicked by her unexpected visit.

"Mom?" Eren said, his voice betraying his panic, hoping Levi could transform quickly enough to continue to fool her. "We definitely weren't expecting you at fucking sunrise," he groaned, the door open enough to talk to her, but his stance was rigid, like there was no way he'd invite her inside. He had to protect Levi's identity at all costs, but the anger and shaking rage revealed in Carla's stance was enough to make him nauseous with worry. Why the fuck was she here and what the fuck did she already know?

Carla's brows lowered and her lips pursed with irritation, clearly unimpressed with her son's greeting and his obvious reluctance to let her into the house. She abruptly pushed her way inside, making Eren stumble, the handle of the door impacting the wall behind it loudly as he caught himself. "Where is he? I know he's here," she demanded, looking about wildly before her gaze settled back on her son expectantly.

Eren's eyes grew wide, spluttering in answer, "I-I d-don't know who y-you're talking about... Chihaya is just trying to get presentable to greet her mother in law. Y-You know the Japanese are very traditional and careful about being respectful..." He looked around, trying to save himself and convince her the lie was truth, "Um... Do you want a drink or something? Water? Coffee? While we wait for Chihaya to come down?"

The woman's eyes narrowed dangerously, practically smelling the lie on her son. "Might as well tell him not to bother. I know all about his little con. He might as well face me honestly now that I know him for who he is. I don't know what lies he's fed you Eren, but his family has fabricated this whole scheme and I'll not let them drag our name through the mud any further," she said, stepping further down the hall, still looking around for the raven haired man she knew was lurking about, ignoring Eren's attempts to cover for him and distract her. Coming to a halt at the foot of the stairs, she called out threateningly, "Levi, I suggest you get down here in the next minute. You've some explaining to do and I assure you, you don't want me to come up there to drag you out of hiding!"

She then turned back to Eren, a dark expression on her usually pretty face, "I'm dissolving this farce of a marriage before the press gets wind of the circumstances. If I could find out, so could they. Just look what a little digging turned up!" She finished by tossing the incriminating photos at her son's feet, pointing at them in condemnation, "It's downright shameful Eren!"

As she spoke, there was the sound of a thump and a string of very masculine and vehement curses overhead as Levi obviously fumbled about, caught off guard and panicking.

Eren was frozen in panic; _she found out, she knew, she fucking knew!_ But once he was able to move past that and started to comprehend what she wanted, what she was prepared to do, rage started to flow through his veins and cloud his mind. Standing tall, he called up to Levi, "She knows Levi... Don't bother love... Just come down." He continued to glare at his mother with his hands crossed over his chest as he waited for Levi to come down the stairs. Eren was digging his heels in this time, there was no way he would go along with his mother’s wishes once again. He watched his husband step down the stairs, and instantly shoved passed his mother to grab Levi's hand so that they both could stand against her, united and strong.

Levi’s fingers weaved between Eren’s tightly, holding on like it was a lifeline. He’d always known they might be found out someday, but he hadn’t thought it would be so soon or that Eren’s mother would be so vicious about it. At least Eren was happy; didn’t that matter at all? She had everything wrong, at least about him. He had never wanted to be a part of the con, had never wanted to participate in the money making scheme his mother and uncle had devised, but like Eren had been forced to marry a “woman” by his family, Levi had been thrust into a role to be played as well. Wasn’t it worth anything that they had found something real in it? Looking at her, he already knew her mind was made up. She’d been sitting on this, stewing over it; he could tell. She was positively livid and how could he really blame her? His family had swindled the Jaegers out of a small fortune and fucked off as soon as they could from what he’d last heard from his mother and they’d sure as shit fucked him over just as much as they’d fucked Eren and his family over. It hadn’t come as a surprise to him, but it also hadn’t mattered because he had Eren and that was all he wanted anymore, a life that was his and for perhaps the first time as far back as he could remember, he was _happy_ to be living it.

He swallowed as he met the narrowed and seething hazel of Carla’s eyes with his own silver, squeezing Eren’s hand in his. “Carla, please, I know what it seems like, but it’s not what you think. I’m not… I don’t want anything from Eren or you… I just want to be with him,” even as he said it, he knew she wasn’t going to believe it. Every gold digger that had ever been confronted on the face of the planet had likely said the same or similar. There was no way to prove his words were truer than any of theirs.

Carla’s unimpressed expression became something almost akin to disgust as she watched Eren clinging to the imposter. It only infuriated her further to see how well the other man had wound her son around his finger, misled him and made him believe there was something real when there so clearly was not. He was being cheated and strung along, blinded by the attractive young man that to her knowledge via the PI had never been of the homosexual persuasion previously and that only fueled her conclusion that Levi was merely using Eren as a sugar daddy of sorts. That ended now.

“As if anything that leaves your mouth could be believed. No doubt, you’ve become so good at deceiving people, you’ve managed to deceive yourself. You are nothing but a con artist and a thief and eventually this little charade you’ve become ensconced in with my son will lose its luster and then where will that leave you? Just like your thieving mother, I imagine you’ll take all you can and scurry away like the criminal you are. Well I’m not allowing you to drag Eren any further into your web. We’ll not be participating in this scandal any longer; it’s bad enough that we can’t void the merger as it’s already too late for that, but at least the company can be salvaged and profitable enough in future as retribution,” she accused venomously, tone one that demanded no argument be forthcoming, threatening in a way that made a sick feeling settle in the pit of Levi’s gut, “I’ve had the annulment papers drawn up already, the both of you need only sign them. It would be in your best interests to do so without protest or I may have to rethink my decision to leave the law out of it.”

Levi was shaking his head, his eyes wide, the snowy depths squalling with upset. He couldn’t do that… He’d lose Eren. He’d have _nothing_ … He turned his gaze to the other male slowly, brow furrowed and glassy eyes pleading. He didn’t even care if she cut them off, kicked them out of the home she’d bought for them, didn’t care if he had to give up art school and live a different life, so long as Eren would be with him. He didn’t need cars, or clothes, or money… What he’d always wanted most was to be himself, be loved and cherished and for his dreams to matter; he’d found all that in Eren. In Eren, he’d found the family he’d never truly known and he could not just give it up, would not for all the world.

"No," Eren spit, his hand gripping Levi's so tightly that he was probably hurting him, but he couldn't let go or even try to lessen the squeeze. Carla was about to speak, but Eren immediately cut her off, "No, Mom. Seriously, you can go straight to hell... You have fucked around with my life and I let you, because I love you and I always thought you wanted the best for me and my future..."

Carla's eyes softened with hurt immediately saying, "Sweetheart! Of course I only care about your well being!" Her outrage became more and more apparent as the look on Eren's face didn't change like it usually did in response to her distress. "You need to listen to me, Levi Ackerman is a liar!" she shrieked, finger pointing at Levi like some sort of criminal. 

"I love him," Eren spoke clearly, unwavering even though he and Levi had had no chance to actually confess their feelings. Eren's voice became softer, gentler as he glanced to the side to look at Levi directly. "He's my husband, I want to spend the rest of my life with him..."

Carla heaved a suffering sigh and shook her head, “You’re being deceived Eren. Of course you love him. That’s what he wants so that he can take advantage. At this point, he’s merely saving his own skin since his family obviously does not understand the meaning of loyalty and has left him on his own. I’m sure he’s a fine actor; he had all of us fooled sweetheart, but he’s not even gay from what evidence the investigator dug up. No doubt it’s just another clever ruse to be sure he’s taken care of until something better comes along. Now darling, please see reason. We’ll find you someone else, someone better suited for the Jaeger family, not some criminal,” she argued, picking her words carefully, hopefully planting seeds of doubt. Surely her son could see he was being fooled; he would most definitely be heartbroken in the end. 

Levi’s other hand came to hold Eren’s as well, covering their already painfully gripped fingers as if to shield them, protect the bond from Carla’s harsh accusations. He wasn’t going to do the things she said; he’d never really intended to, even before he’d fallen in love with Eren. He’d just wanted to find freedom, “It’s not true, I love him too. I didn’t know before and gay or not, I’ve never been so happy as when I’m with him. Please, you have to believe me and if not me then at least believe Eren. I’d never hurt him like that.” 

Eren looked at Carla, eyes begging, "Please don't do this to me... If you care about me at all, you won't take Levi away... He's all I want. Please don't do this to me..." His eyes were filling with tears as he spit out his request, rage still there but, held in and concealed. Eren had no idea what lengths his mother would go to to separate them, but he knew she would go as far as she had to. He was beginning to tremble, his entire body breaking down at the thought of losing the love of his life. "Can't you just look past this, just this once?" he pleaded with her, voice beginning to shake and breaking with overwhelming emotion

Carla almost rethought her decision, almost gave in to Eren's pleading, but she knew he wasn't seeing this objectively. He was being played and she couldn't possibly let it continue no matter how he begged. It would hurt him certainly, but that hurt would be worse later if she let him carry on with Levi. It was too shameful. 

She watched as Levi had the audacity to draw Eren in against him, wrap his arms around him as if to comfort him, as if _she_ were the villain in all of this. Well that was just fine then; she would play the villain for the sake of their family, for their name and for her misguided son. Her lips set in a grim line as she crossed her arms beneath her bust, her stance set and unwavering as she spoke her next words, "I'm sorry Eren, but that's not going to be an option. You can't see what's best right now, but you'll come to understand. I'm doing this for your own good. You can't be married to a criminal and con artist; it's just not healthy. I didn't want to resort to this, but you leave me no choice. If you won't sign the papers, I'll have to call the police and have Levi arrested.”

Levi's eyes widened, then narrowed in response to Carla's words, brow furrowed with anger of his own. How unfair could she possibly be? Did she really believe this was all fabricated? Levi was a good actor, but he didn't think he was _that_ good. Couldn't she see how she was devastating Eren? "I won't do it. Call them, I don't give a shit. Eren belongs with me and I'll be damned if I'm forced out of this marriage the way it was forced onto us in the first place," he replied coldly, holding Eren a little tighter, trying to convey just how serious he was, how much he meant it and to be the support for Eren in this battle against his mother where all the odds seemed once again stacked against them.

Eren's head whipped to the side, mouth gaping at Levi in shock. “N-No!” he finally spluttered, head beginning to shake side to side in protest, hand snaking around Levi's back to pull him closer, “You can't… I can't… you'll fucking get arrested Levi! You can't fucking go to jail! No way! It's not happening!” Tears streamed down his face as he rubbed into Levi's neck. There was no way he'd let Levi do that; not for him, not to stay with Eren. He wouldn't allow it. 

“The only way Levi is staying out of jail is if you both sign the papers,” Carla interrupted, face set in a grim expression, lips pursed in a straight line.

Eren just cried harder, shoulders shaking through his sobs. He was almost convinced he was asleep, experiencing his worst nightmare come true. How could this happen after everything they had gone through? He had finally found his happiness and the love of his life and his own mother was trying to take him away. 

“I can’t Eren… I won’t… You’re all I have; you mean everything to me. I don’t care if I’m arrested; I won’t give you up,” Levi replied in a hoarse tone, voice cracking under the strain of emotion. He held Eren tighter as the other male sobbed, his own eyes burning as he tried to swallow against the bitter lump that was crawling up his throat.

Carla huffed an irritated sigh, “You are only making things harder for yourself. The annulment is only a formality in order to avoid the press knowing the simple truth. You are not Chihaya Ackerman therefore the marriage is not even binding. You can’t marry someone who does not and has never existed. You’re a fraud and you _will_ go to prison. This is not some game,” she paused, looking between the two men disdainfully. She shook her head, still frowning as she continued, addressing first Levi and then her son, “I suggest you take the night to think on it… _alone._ I think you’ll come to the _right_ conclusion… Eren, I think you should come home with me for the evening.”

Eren shook his head, not bothering to look up at his mother, hands fisting into Levi's shirt. "I don't want to. I want to stay with Levi," he said sullen and nasally from his now running nose. 

Carla rolled her eyes to the ceiling and fished her phone out from her purse, dialling then holding it to her ear. "Yes hello, I would like to report a crime... Yes... Yes... Fraud and impersonation... 187 street and 45 ave," she said clearly, staring at her sobbing son as she spoke, making good on her threat. 

"No!" Eren yelled as soon as he knew what she was doing, unwinding his arms from around Levi's waist, then tucking the smaller man behind his own body as if to shield him from Carla's malice. "Stop! I'll go with you! Just fucking stop!" Eren spit, eyes bright red from irritation and shaking with rage and heartache.  
Carla hung up with a satisfied nod and looked at her son expectantly, “Alright then, pack some of your things, we’re leaving. Levi has some thinking to do,” she said curtly, eyeing the man in question as he stood behind Eren’s taller form. 

Levi shifted behind his husband, meeting Carla’s gaze with his own, the mercury smoldering with angry anguish. It wasn’t fucking fair. He wasn’t going to change his mind regardless of what she did. She could have him charged, send him away to prison; it didn’t matter because he wasn’t going to give up the only thing that had ever made him feel like he mattered.

Eren's eyes fell in defeat before he whirled around, gripping Levi's body impossibly tight in a hard embrace before he kissed him passionately in goodbye. When they finally broke apart after many loud sighs and groans from Carla that were ignored completely, Eren ran his fingers through Levi's silky hair and whispered into his ear, "I will see you tomorrow... I'll fix this... I don't know how but I'll convince her, even if it takes me all night... Just wait for me, I'll come back." His voice was frantic, desperate for Levi to believe in him. Eren had to convince his mother; it was their only hope.

Levi could only nod, words strangled in his throat as he held on to the other man harder, reluctant to let him go at all, but he believed Eren. He pulled him in for another desperate kiss, finally managing to murmur hoarsely against Eren’s mouth, “I’d wait forever. I love you.” Then he let him go, forcing his hands to release their grips on the other young man and balled them into fists at his sides to keep from reaching for him again, unable to watch him turn away.

Eren finally let go, turning on his heel to storm past his mother towards the front door. "I don't need anything, I'm coming right back," he informed her. Carla just sighed and fell into step behind him reaching out to place a comforting hand on Eren's back. Eren would have none of it though, smacking her hand away from him as he snarled, "Don't fucking touch me," before he stomped his way to her vehicle. Carla paused with her hand on chest, aghast that her son would treat her in such a way. She finally gave her head a little shake then followed Eren to the car for them to drive away. Eren remained staring out the window and refused to say a word to his mother before they reached one of the Jaeger families many homes.

***

Levi was curled up on the end of the couch, had been since Eren had left with his mother. He was staring at nothing, vision unfocused, blurred from tears that pooled and clung to his lashes. He didn’t know how long it had been and the house was so quiet, so desolate and dead and it was the same as how he felt inside himself. He put his head in his hands and let the tears wet his palms. He believed Eren would come back, he did, but the silence was suffocating and the waiting was like a slow amputation. He could feel numbness starting in his fingertips and spreading; it was so cold without Eren next to him.

Only a handful of months, some dozen weeks ago, he hadn’t known how cold he’d been, hadn’t known he was missing more than freedom and now… Now he couldn’t picture a life without Eren’s warmth, his smile and his hand in his own. It’d happened so fast and yet it felt like he’d always known him, as if he’d spent his life waiting just to meet him. He’d finally found something to hold onto, something that made life worth living, worth fighting for, felt real and whole for the first time in as long as he could remember, and he felt powerless now that it was being threatened. He could do nothing but have faith. He was brave, but he didn’t feel much like it at the moment.

He jumped when there came a pounding on the door and wiped his eyes furiously before he uncurled himself from the sofa to answer the door.

Two men in suits stood at the door with grim unreadable expressions, both looking down at the young man that opened the door. 

“Are you Levi Ackerman?” the taller of the two asked, eyeing Levi up and down but made no move to introduce himself. 

Levi swallowed hard against a lump that was steadily forming in his throat as he looked back at the two men taking up the doorway intimidatingly. “Yeah, that’s me. Can I ask who you guys are?” he answered, a feeling of foreboding settling heavily in his gut. The unexpected visitors definitely weren’t there for anything good.

"I am detective Weilman, and this is detective Dietrich..." the oldest of the two said as they both reached into their coats to flash their badges, "Unfortunately, Mr. Ackerman, you need to come with us." 

Levi’s eyes widened and his breath hitched, fingers fisting at his sides apprehensively. “Am I… Being arrested?” he asked, voice more strained than he’d have liked. He already knew the answer; Carla had made good on her threat. Did that mean she’d convinced Eren or did his husband even know?

The younger man of the two, Dietrich, held up a pair of silver cuffs that clanked quietly in the air. "Can you please turn around and put your hands behind your back?" he asked, but there was no malice in his tone, eyes softening at the terrified look he saw in Levi's eyes.

The raven did as asked, moving mechanically. He could feel a rivulet of cold sweat sliding between his shoulderblades and his fingers were numb and aching from how tightly they’d been fisted as he put them behind his back, not inclined to fight the detectives. He’d never been arrested before, always stayed under the radar and avoided getting involved in anything that would have led to that kind of trouble. God knew, his family wasn’t going to bail him out. As it was, he was being arrested for them now and they were nowhere to be found. All he had was Eren and even he wasn’t with him now; Carla had made sure of that.

Dietrich cuffed Levi gently, making sure they weren't too tight that they would rub the young man’s wrists raw or too loose for the pale and tiny wrists to slip through. Giving him a pat on the shoulder, he began leading Levi to the squad car as he read him his rights, "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney, and to have an attorney present during any questioning…" Weilman opened up the back door of the car and Dietrich placed his hand on the top of Levi's head and guided him into the backseat. They both hopped in the front, radioing central before they were on their way back. 

Levi was silent, could hardly hear anything the other men said to him as he was led to the vehicle and directed into the backseat. All he could hear was the rushing static of his blood in his ears and the thunderous beat of his own heart. He didn’t know what he was going to do, thoughts jumbled and tangling together, clambering inside his head until he felt like it might explode. He sat stiffly in the backseat, gaze unfocused on the back of the driver’s seat in front of him.

He missed Eren, would no doubt have felt better with the other male at his side, but there was no one. Maybe he would be able to call him, at least let him know what had happened and he’d have to figure out what he would do for a lawyer; he wasn’t even sure what he was being charged with exactly, but he could assume it was heavy enough to be federal. He would have to wait until they arrived. If he couldn’t make bail… _Of course,_ he wouldn’t make bail; he had no money, no assets, no nothing… Would he go straight to prison? Would they even allow him to call Eren? His vision was blurring again, but he couldn’t even wipe away the tears before they fell. He’d been such a fool to think he could ever be free.

The car pulled up to the police station and the detectives pulled Levi out of the backseat. He looked strange among the other criminals, quiet and crying, making no move to resist where the detectives pulled him. Others were screaming bloody murder, fighting the police with every step and every breath; but not Levi. Since he did not resist and followed all orders with silent submission, the booking process was swift, and he was fingerprinted and posed for his mug shot efficiently. They left him for a few moments chained to a bench as far as they could keep him from the other criminals before a young woman in a uniform came to unlock Levi and guide him to the phone. 

“You get to use the phone, but for ten minutes only,” she said softly, placing the phone in Levi's limp and numb hand, having to curl his fingers around the device so he wouldn't drop it. 

Levi stared at the dialpad for several long seconds as if he didn’t see it, holding the phone to his ear numbly, deaf to the grating dialtone. The officer, Lt Petra Ral set her hand on his shoulder and he jerked, breath hitching as if he’d only just remembered to breathe and he finally lifted a vaguely trembling fingertip to dial Eren’s phone number. It went to voicemail and Levi listened to it just to hear his husband’s voice before he abruptly hung up and dialed again only to be met with a message relaying that the number he was trying to reach was currently out of service. How could it suddenly be out of service? He’d only just called it. He hung up and tried again, got the same, again and again, his movements becoming more frantic, panicked as he received the same mechanical nasally tone of the operator’s recording each time.

He let out a soft choking sound and tried to their home phone instead only to be met with the same. His breath became laboured and he hung up only to try again to be sure he’d actually called home instead of dialling Eren again. Still the same… He didn’t know any other numbers, Carla’s or the office’s or even Eren’s father, whom he’d only met at their wedding. He didn’t know any of his husband’s friends’ numbers either. His own family’s only gave him the same message as Eren’s and there wasn’t anyone else aside… Hange! 

He hung up and was about to pick it up again to dial his oldest friend when Lieutenant Ral’s hand settled on his forearm and he looked at her with desperate stormy eyes, pleading with her. He had to get ahold of Hange; he _had to._

"You're time is up Hun," she said about to lead him away when she saw the desperate begging look the young man gave her. She bit her lip and shifted on her feet for a moment before she turned her head to look around and see if anyone was watching her. Her voice dropped in volume, removing her hand from Levi's forearm, "Make it quick... If you get caught we both will be in trouble." 

“Thank you,” the young man whispered gratefully before he quickly punched in Hange’s number, closing his eyes tightly as it rang. 

“Thank God,” he breathed when the line connected and Hange’s cheerful voice greeted him, “Hange, it’s Levi, I need you to come to the North end police station. I’ve been arrested for falsifying legal documents and fraud because I married Eren. I know that; it doesn’t matter that he knows and loves me… His mother is having me charged. Hange… Hange! I don’t have time to explain now, just come here and tell them you’re acting as my legal council…” 

***

Bursting through the front door, Eren almost sprinted into the home his mother made him abandon for the night. “Levi!” he yelled, his voice filled with desperation but a hint of relief since he believed he would be seeing his husband briefly now that he was home. His night has been hell, his mother hell bent on manipulating him the entire time. But Eren held fast. There was no way he would give up on Levi. He loved the man too much. All he needed was cuddles and a cry but his husband did not answer, the sound of Eren's voice seeming to echo through the house. Almost like it was empty, almost like Levi was gone.

“No,” Eren said to himself quietly, head swivelling from side to side as he searched for his husband. “No he can't be gone. He's just sleeping… Or in the bathroom,” he assured himself, running to the stairs and taking two at a time to check the second and third floor. He threw open every door, even checked every single closet in search of Levi, but the man was no where to be found. 

“No, no, no, no, no,” Eren began to say, beginning to panic. Levi couldn't be gone. He just couldn't be. Eren told him he would be back in the morning, and Eren kept his word. Carla couldn't have been right about Levi. There was no chance… Was there? 

Eren’s feet finally dragged him back to the master bedroom, even though he'd checked it eight times already. He fell to the floor as tears started to spill out of his eyes and he clutched one of Levi's dirty shirts to his chest, hugging the material as his heart beat erratically and his sobs echoed through his chest. How could this be happening? How could Levi leave Eren behind? How could he?

The questions continued to race through Eren's mine until he randomly looked to the bed with unseeing eyes. That was when he noticed a familiar book was on Levi's side and Eren gasped, scrambling onto his feet to snatch it into his arms. 

“Levi's sketchbook,” Eren screeched, flipping through the pages to double check, laughing and sobbing like a mad man. “He never would have left without this… There's no fucking way,” he told himself, his broken heart mending as he looked through Levi's work. His art meant more to him than anything; Eren knew that if Levi would have left him, he wouldn't have left it behind. 

Hange whistled as she looked up at the house Levi had been living in, impressed upon finally getting around to making the trip over while her friend was still awaiting bail. It’d taken a few days for her to get there since she’d been out of town at the time he’d first called her, and another day or two to figure things out. The police were having a rather difficult time tracking down Levi’s family and seemed to be dragging their feet some, wary of laying all the heavy charges on her friend; it definitely wasn’t a bad thing for Levi to have their sympathy. He’d looked so small and lost cuffed there all by himself on a bench because they had nowhere else to put him, unable to leave him with the other criminals in the cells in good conscience. Thank goodness for the small things because she didn’t think he would have fared well or at least the others wouldn’t have.

She toed at the rolled up newspapers that had accumulated on the porchstep, pushing them away from the front of the door, collecting the mail and mostly junk by the looks of it from the overflowing mailbox, knocking on the front door and idly flipping through the articles as she waited to see if anyone would answer. It didn’t seem like anyone was at home given the state of the porch and mailbox, but she figured it was worth a shot before she let herself into the place unannounced.

"Levi!" Eren yelled from inside, ripping the door open as he looked outside in excitement and then in despair and annoyance. "Oh... I don't wanna hear about our lord and saviour... Can't you people leave me the fuck alone? You better leave before you catch "the gay"," he hissed about to slam the door. 

The brunette’s brows raised, expression blank in shock for a long moment before the woman abruptly burst out laughing. “You must be Eren, never thought I’d see the day, but you’re absolutely perfect for him, aren’t you,” she absorbed, breathless from her laughter and wiping away mirthful tears from behind her glasses, skewing them as per usual and not bothered enough to fix them.She tucked the mail under her one arm and stuck her other hand out in greeting, “I’m Hange, Levi’s friend and apparently his lawyer for the moment. He’s been trying to get ahold of you for days now.”

Eren's bloodshot eyes widened in recognition. Levi had talked a lot about his friend Hange that he lovingly insulted often. In dazed confusion from his sleepless state, he shook the woman's hand. “Why're you…” he started to ask tiredly, then his eyes widened again as the word lawyer repeated in his head. Suddenly yelling out, “I won't fucking let him divorce me so he doesn't need a fucking lawyer! Fuck off!”, before he slammed the door shut on her face and locked it. 

Hange blinked when the obviously sleep deprived and dishevelled young man suddenly shouted at her and slammed the door in her face. She chuckled and shook her head, digging into her pocket for Levi’s set of keys. She let herself in after him. “That’s not why I’m here...You have mail here; looks pretty important,” she said conversationally, completely undeterred by his volatility. After all, she couldn’t blame him given the circumstances.

Eren glared at her for a moment, running his hand through his greasy hair then rubbing the stubble that had formed on his chin. He hadn't been able to do anything but wait for Levi to come home; not even eat or shower. He just sat waiting at the front door wishing that Levi would show up soon. He finally just sighed when he saw no sign of a lie in Hange’s eyes. “Do you know where he is?” Eren asked quietly, taking the mail from Hange, staring at the largest Manila envelope. Before she could answer, Eren tore it open to retrieve the stack of papers, tired eyes scanning the words. His face went completely blank for a moment even though he heard Hange speaking, he couldn't make out the words as his heart began to pound in his ears. 

No. No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. 

“Mother fucker,” he screeched, dropping the paper work before turning to the side and punching his hand through the drywall next to the front door. When he pulled back his hand his knuckles were bleeding but Eren didn't seem to care, putting his foot through the decorative mirror then cursing when he couldn't get it back out again. 

Hange watched him, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall, stopping what she had been saying and waiting patiently for him to run out of steam of his own accord. He wasn’t listening anyway and she needed him to hear what she had to tell him. “You done?” she inquired as she half smiled when he got his foot stuck and began cussing until he was panting and his shoulders slumped. 

“Levi's gone… my cunt of an egg donor got our marriage annulled… my fucking life is falling apart,” he said quietly, finally pulling his foot out of the smashed mirror before he stumbled back and fell on his ass. Angry tears were streaming down his face and he looked up at Hange, his expression pleading with her to help him. 

The woman’s expression softened and she stepped over to him, offering him a kind hand up. “That’s why I’m here. Levi is in jail. Your mom put him there. He wanted you to know he hadn’t wanted to leave. He tried to get in touch with you himself, but your phone’s been disconnected. It’s lucky you were here when I showed up; I wasn’t really expecting anyone to be here to be honest,” she paused, looking over the unkempt state of him with sympathy, “His family has completely abandoned him, we’re all he’s got. He doesn’t deserve to go to prison for what they made him do. He just wants to be with you. I’ve never seen him so happy as he was the last time we talked. So, do you have a way to bail him out at least or maybe argue the charges or something? It’s as much in your name as your mother’s.”

“Levi's… in jail?” Eren said with a sniffle, shock written plainly on his face before it twisted to rage. “That fucking cunt!” he said, reaching forward to take Hange’s hand to lift himself up. “Ever since I found out about Levi's gender, I set up my own offshore account and started to funnel my own money out of my mother’s clutches. I'll have more than enough to bail him out…” he muttered to himself, before he stomped his way to the door, “Let's go get my fucking husband. I don't care what a piece of paper says.”


End file.
